LIBERTY COUNTY — Friday’s tornado caused more damage than originally reported and left some Dayton area residents grateful they survived, albeit with a big mess to clean up. The twister seen by so many touched down in the CR 685 area.
Laura Fregia was relaxing on her couch, using the computer when she noticed the rain got much harder and the wind began to change directions “really fast,” so she jumped up to look outside.
“I looked across the street at the neighbors’ house and their branches and trees were just twisting and falling, and I could tell it was coming my way,” Fregia said. “Our power lines just all slammed together and I took off running, and got in my tub.”
Fregia’s neighbor called about that time, she said, and told her she needed to take cover because he was a watching a tornado and it was headed for her house.
“I said I know, I see it,” she said. “I just kept saying, oh my God, oh my God.”
The neighbor, who was watching from down the street, then told her it was gone.
“I came outside and started looking at the damage and it was a shock,” she said. “I’ve never been through that and I hope I never go through that again.”
Fregia says her family was very lucky. The tornado took a little skirting from the end of their house, the roll-up doors on their shop were shoved in and the front of their travel trailer was moved off its blocks and sat on the ground. They also lost some limbs and tree tops, but considering what could have happened, Fregia said they were fortunate.
A man living across the street from Fregia heard the commotion and quickly hustled his grandchildren into the back of the house.
“In 10 seconds, it was over with,” he said. “. The destruction was unbelievable for 10 seconds of wind. It did the same damage Ike and Rita did, basically, on trees and structures.”
His patio was damaged and a dog pen was flattened, in addition to quite a bit of debris from trees. He said the family had several more days’ work before everything was cleaned up.
Tracy Ponder, another of Fregia’s neighbors, said he saw the tornado coming and called her.
“It went through their place, across County Road 685 and then went to the north side of their property and then back up into the sky,” Ponder said.
When he first saw it, Ponder said it looked like a dirt devil, but then there was debris in it as he watched it pick up tree limbs and sheet metal.
There were no known injuries associated with the storm.
Friday’s storm did more damage than originally reported and left Dayton residents grateful they survived and with a big mess to clean up. The tornado seen by so many touched down in the CR 685 area.
Laura Fregia was relaxing on her couch, using the computer when she noticed the rain got much harder and the wind began to change directions “really fast,” so she jumped up to look outside.
“I looked across the street at the neighbors’ house and their branches and trees were just twisting and falling, and I could tell it was coming my way,” Fregia said. “Our power lines just all slammed together and I took off running, and got in my tub.”
Fregia’s neighbor called about that time, she said, and told her she needed to take cover because he was a watching a tornado and it was headed for her house.
“I said I know, I see it,” she said. “I just kept saying, oh my God, oh my God.”
The neighbor, who was watching from down the street, then told her it was gone.
“I came outside and started looking at the damage and it was a shock,” she said. “I’ve never been through that and I hope I never go through that again.”
Fregia says her family was very lucky. They lost a little skirting from the end of their house, the roll-up doors on their shop were shoved in and the front of their travel trailer was moved off its blocks and sat on the ground. They also lost some limbs and tree tops, but considering what could have happened, Fregia said they were fortunate.
A man living across the street from Fregia heard the commotion and quickly hustled his grandchildren into the back of the house.
“In 10 seconds, it was over with,” he said. “. The destruction was unbelievable for 10 seconds of wind. It did the same damage Ike and Rita did, basically, on trees and structures.”
His patio was damaged and a dog pen was flattened, in addition to quite a bit of debris from trees. He said the family had several more days’ work before everything was cleaned up.
Tracy Ponder, another of Fregia’s neighbors, said he saw the tornado coming and called her.
“It went through their place, across County Road 685 and then went to the north side of their property and then back up into the sky,” Ponder said.
When he first saw it, Ponder said it looked like a dirt devil, but then there was debris in it as he watched it pick up tree limbs and sheet metal.
There were no known injuries associated with the storm.
