At least 4 dead after tornadoes hit St. Lucie County, including mobile home park

At least four people died in St. Lucie County, including at least one at a senior living community, after multiple tornadoes touched down Wednesday in the wake of Hurricane Milton, a county official confirmed Thursday morning.

Erick Gill, a county spokesman, confirmed the number of deaths to CBS News Miami, including at Spanish Lakes Country Club Village near Fort Pierce. The modular homes are located on Turnpike Feeder Road, west of Route 1. He could not provide the number of people killed at the mobile home park.

“This is like nothing else we’ve ever seen,” Sheriff Keith Pearson told CBS affiliate WPEC.

He said 12 confirmed high-intensity tornadoes ripped through the area within 20 minutes.

A neighbor told CBS News Miami that two people near him died in a destroyed home.

CBS News Miami also spoke with a couple who were living in a home when the first tornado struck. They ran to a second home that had a generator and then a second tornado hit.

Shutters were installed in a damaged house.

There were piles of rubble and a mailbox was torn from the post office.

More than 100 personnel, including the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Florida Highway Patrol, National Guard and State of Florida Fish & Wildlife, are on scene, including some door-to-door in the community, conducting search and rescue operations.

They called off their search and rescue operation overnight due to poor weather conditions, but resumed the search in the morning.

“All we can do is search the area. Check the residences and if there is anyone in the residences we will work our way through the storm to get them out,” Pearson said.

Pearson also said the SLCSO hangar was a total loss after a possible tornado ripped through the building.

At least 19 tornadoes were confirmed and 116 tornado warnings have been issued across the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday evening.

This includes a tornado in western Broward County along Alligator Alley on Wednesday morning. No damage or injuries were reported.