- An RV resort near Marianna is beginning the cleanup process after an apparent tornado touched down Tuesday morning.
- Some people from the area said the damage was worse than they saw with Hurricane Michael in 2018.
- Watch the video to hear their stories of survival.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Another severe weather event causes damage in Jackson County. I'm Maya Sargent in Marianna, a place where business owners tell me they've just recovered from Hurricane Michael. I'm finding out why, despite this damage you can see right here, they're hopeful that with the help of their community they can get back on their feet.
"Try to pull together and do our thing, and that's what's happening right now," said Chuck McIntosh, General Manager of Florida Caverns RV Resort. He was on site when strong winds tore through this site early Tuesday morning causing this destruction and his minor injury. But thankfully, he says, there were no fatalities. "Look at this, these are all details, and it just takes time and money to fix it."
Chuck says he can't believe how quickly the community rallied including first responders, law enforcement, and Florida public utilities. Despite the repair work that needs to take place, Chuck says he's just grateful. "It looks bad, but it's mostly surface. My wifi and the electric are two big things. I have water. I have sewage."
While the Jackson County community rallies, so does the smaller community right here.
Erwin Jackson, owner of Florida Caverns RV Resort, tells me their experience with Hurricane Michael in 2018 means they know how to action a plan. Firstly, preserve what they can. "Then look at buying glass and closing the buildings, securing the buildings that we can."
Then he tells me they'll cover RV's and buildings in tarp. Erwin says he will be out of business for 6 months but that doesn't stop him from looking towards the future.
"There's only one way and that's forward. So that's what we're doing. We did it once before and we'll do it again."
Sheriff Edenfield says Jackson County residents can find out updated information about repair and restoration by calling their citizen's information line at (850) 718-0020.