BRADENTON, Fla. (WWSB) – New video captured by a Manatee County ambulance dash camera shows the moment a tornado touched down Sept. 2 inside a mobile home park.
The video shows aluminum siding being blown across a street while EMTs watch in disbelief. “My God, is that a tornado? It IS a tornado,” one EMT is heard saying.
In a Twitter post, Manatee County officials say the National Weather Service confirmed it was a small EF-0 tornado. It hits parts of the Swan Lake Village development as well as homes on Colleen Drive in Chateau Village. County officials have determined that 31 homes were damaged.
ABC7 Chief Meteorologist Bob Harrigan getting video and reaction from neighbors shortly after it happened.
“I heard a loud boom, an electrical sound and then it went boom,” said Juan Lauriano, a Chateau Village resident who had damage to his home. “I saw something fly right by my window, I said what the heck.”
Roofs of homes and carports turning into mangled metal. Another Chateau Village resident says it felt like the winds were 80 miles an hour.
“I heard the noise, I heard the winds coming in over the top of the palm trees,” said John Wall. “Caught this first house over across the road, sheet metal was flying everywhere and I decided to take cover.”
What neighbors say is they saw a microburst causing all the damage. Fortunately no one was injured.
“It was scary because I had never experienced anything like this before, since I’ve been down here,” said George Vomvoris, a Chateau Village resident.
Here’s another view of Friday’s weather event from a Manatee County EMS ambulance. Thankfully, no one reported injuries. Assessment by Code Enhancement and Code Enforcement determined that 31 homes were damaged. @NWSTampaBay says that it was “a very brief, very weak EF0 tornado.” pic.twitter.com/w4Mh4eHHpQ
— Manatee County Government Public Safety Department (@MCGPublicSafety) September 6, 2022
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