DeLAND, Fla. – After assessing damage left behind by storms that swept through the area, the National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado touched down in Volusia County over the weekend.
According to the NWS Melbourne, an EF-1 tornado, with estimated peak winds of 90-100 mph, touched down at 11:25 a.m. Saturday in DeLand.
The rotating system touched down near Woodward Avenue Elementary School and ended four minutes later near Colorado and New York avenues, weather officials said.
The NWS said the tornado traveled on a continuous three-mile path and was .15 miles wide.
Several large trees toppled, branches came down, multiple power poles snapped and buildings and five homes were damaged as a result of the tornado, officials said. Two of the homes were deemed uninhabitable.
There was also a downed fence at Melching Field and a destroyed roof at the VFW that left the building without power and water.
“This place is like a second home to us. For it to be closed down and a couple of our friends are going to be out of work for a while. It’s scary but we’re glad nobody got hurt,” one DeLand resident said.
David Belyan showed News 6 what’s left of his two trees that he and his late wife planted 25 years ago. But after Saturday morning’s tornado, at least one will have to be removed. Belyan said he knew it was a tornado roaring through his front yard when he heard the sound and then saw Mother Nature’s wrath on surveillance video.
“The next thing I realize is the dogs ran inside the house. My curtain on the back door was flying out the back door. Debris was hitting my windows. The wind was blowing so hard, the windows were actually bode in the front of the house,” Belyan said. “The debris that was blowing the cameras was so intense sometimes you just couldn’t see what was going on.”
Belyan said his house has some damage from his neighbor’s table that hit his gable but it’s the two trees that has him concerned the most.
“This tree does have to be removed and it’s heartbreaking because it’s one of the only things that I have left to remind me of her other than memories and home,” he said.
The City of DeLand said the tornado caused $20,000-$25,000 worth of damage to city facilities.
An EF-0 tornado also touched down in Lake County during the weekend storms, according to the NWS.
The NWS reports the tornado happened in Okahumpka at 10:30 a.m. bringing peak winds of 75 mph along a 2.31-mile path.
Approximately five mobile homes sustained significant roof damage and a large oak tree toppled over, according to the NWS.
Damages were reported from Leesburg to DeLand on Saturday after severe weather left behind destruction across Central Florida.