"I'm amazed to see anybody got out of this alive," said Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube during a news conference. Steube said that the victims of the tornado in Duette were asleep in their mobile home when the tornado struck.
Steven Wilson, 58, was killed immediately, while his wife, Kate, died from a heart attack after being taken to a hospital. Their son, also named Steven Wilson, crawled out of the wreckage and helped his four children out of the home. The children are between the ages of 6 and 10.
The National Weather Service in Ruskin, Florida, said a tornado touched down in Duette in Manatee County at 3:45 a.M. Duette is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of the city of Tampa.
Minutes later, another twister struck near the beach community of Siesta Key in Sarasota County.
Siesta Key is a barrier island known for its pricey condos and wide, gorgeous beaches. On Sunday morning, about 17,000 residents in the area were without power, the Sarasota County Emergency Management office said on its Facebook page.
Other damage reports include roofs being blown off homes. The Sarasota Police Department early Sunday reported downed trees, minor flooding and mangled parking structures in the city.
