A tornado tore through two central Florida communities early Saturday, demolishing about 60 homes and injuring eight people.
The twister that struck Winter Haven and Haines was part of a group of severe thunderstorms that swamped Florida’s Gulf Coast with heavy rain, flooding low-lying areas around Tampa Bay.
It destroyed 53 mobile homes in Haines City and severely damaged 10 others in three mobile home parks in Winter Haven, local officials said. Dozens more had lesser damage.
The two towns are 10 miles apart and about 80 miles southeast of Tampa Bay.
The most serious injuries were suffered by a couple whose home in Haines City was flipped and swept down their street, said a sheriff’s spokeswoman. Both had broken pelvises, she said. Two other people were treated at a Winter Haven hospital and released.
Utility crews worked to restore electrical service to an estimated 2,500 Polk County residents who lost power when the tornado knocked down trees and power lines.
In the Tampa Bay area, homes, businesses and intersections in low-lying areas were flooded up to 4 feet deep because Saturday’s storms followed three days of rain.
