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"It got pretty crazy" - Jackson Co. neighbors describe living through apparent tornado

The storm struck early Tuesday morning
Posted at 5:23 PM, Jan 09, 2024
and last updated 2024-01-09 18:42:18-05
  • Seven people were hurt during a severe storm in Jackson County Tuesday morning.
  • One couple survived the storm after the RV they were in blew over.
  • Watch the video to see the damage left behind.

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

I'm Ashley Engle in Marianna at Florida Caverns RV Park. Powerful winds ripped through this neighborhood early Tuesday morning. Several RV's like this one are flipped on their sides. I spoke to the man who lived in this RV, and he says he and his wife are thankful to be alive.

A resort built for relaxation turned to chaos.

"Our world is a little upside down right now," said Paul Yoder. He and his wife are snowbirds from Illnois. They're building a house near Marianna. They were renting out this RV during the process."I guess we will have to look elsewhere, not sure what we're going to do yet at this point."

Around 6:30 Tuesday morning, powerful winds flipped RVs like Yoder's, shattered car windows and ripped some buildings to shreds.

Yoder and his wife were in the RV when winds knocked it over. "My wife was sleeping and then I saw on the news that the tornado was coming," Yoder said. He showed me the inside of the flipped RV.

The damage I saw inside and around the park was difficult to describe. Leaders with the park tell me seven people have non-life-threatening injuries following the storm.

Kevin Keene lived through it too. "It got pretty crazy," Keene told me.

I saw Keene going through what was left of his home. He and his family found shelter provided by the park. Although his home is lost, he told me he is glad he and his family are safe.

"Most people care and that's a great thing, and they care about who is still around, not about the stuff that got lost and the damage you know it's a pain and an aggravation. Sets you back quite a bit but as long as we're still here, that's all that matters."

With no lives lost and families together, people in this neighborhood are counting their blessings.

"This is a situation where we have to look at the bright side and we're going to move forward."

Looking around I saw a lot of people in good spirits. Many filled with gratitude knowing they are safe but knowing much work is going to be done in order to feel a sense of normalcy again.