August 8, 2003
RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A tornado that caught forecasters by surprise carved a 3-mile path of destruction through north Palm Beach County, damaging or destroying 500 homes. But only minor injuries were reported.
Most of the damage in Thursday afternoon's storm in Riviera Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. The twister flipped over two tractor trailers, blew railroad boxcars off the tracks and tore the roof off a Pepsi plant.
"I'll tell you truly, I was scared," said Riviera Beach resident J.R. Brown, surveying the damage as police cars roamed the streets. "There was so much thunder and the wind was blowing, the trees were bending and all this debris was blowing around. I was trying not to look outside."
At the Garden Walk mobile home park, the storm collapsed the roofs and walls of several homes and pushed others off their foundations. Emergency crews rescued some residents trapped in their mobile homes, and a gas leak temporarily forced the evacuation of 200 park residents.
Riviera Beach Mayor Michael Brown declared a state of emergency and said Friday that he has been in contact with state officials about getting help.
"We know that we need some aid," Brown said Friday on CBS' "The Early Show." "We will be out the rest of the day assessing the damage."
The National Weather Service said the tornado was spotted at 5:13 p.m. and cleared out by 5:40 p.m. Forecasters were surprised at the rapid development of the system.
"It caught us," said forecaster Bob Ebaugh.
At least two other funnel clouds were reported in Jupiter on Thursday afternoon but there were no reports they touched down.
About 21,000 people were without power in Palm Beach County late Thursday.
The walls from Jean Higgs' trailer at Garden Walk blew away as she sat reading the newspaper. Higgs, 79, wears two hearing aids and had no warning.
"I look up and the whole house is gone," she told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "There is nothing left."
In Riviera Beach, there was a heavy police presence, and residents without power spent the night in hot and humid conditions.
"People are just miserable," J.R. Brown said
Looting was reported in Riviera Beach and the mayor warned that residents found on public property would be arrested. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ed Bieluch sent out extra officers throughout the county to guard against crime.
Two suspected looters were arrested late Thursday in an industrial park near the mobile home park, officials said.
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/news/2003-08-08-floriday-tornado_x.htm