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Strong winds slam Francis I Mobile Home Park<\/strong><\/p>\n SEBRING, Florida \u2014<\/strong> A powerful spring storm<\/strong> struck Highlands County<\/strong> on Tuesday evening<\/strong>, hitting the Francis I Mobile Home Park<\/strong> in Sebring<\/strong> with unexpected force and leaving a trail of damaged homes<\/strong>, twisted aluminum<\/strong>, and scattered debris<\/strong>. The violent weather event arrived around 8:35 p.m.<\/strong>, with residents caught off guard by the horizontal rain<\/strong>, deafening winds, and flying debris.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2018It felt worse than a hurricane\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n Longtime local George Reyes<\/strong>, who lives off Mims Street<\/strong>, described the moment the storm hit. \u201cI was just praying for rain,\u201d Reyes recalled, shaken<\/strong>. \u201cBut the wind started howling, the rain came in sideways<\/strong>, and I heard banging<\/strong> all around the house.\u201d<\/p>\n Though the storm<\/strong> lasted just a few minutes<\/strong>, the destruction<\/strong> left behind painted a grim picture. Pool furniture<\/strong> was thrown from one side of the street to the other. Metal and plastic picnic tables<\/strong> from the pavilion flew over a chain-link fence<\/strong>, and one home’s roof was ripped away<\/strong> entirely.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Debris and damage across Sebring<\/strong><\/p>\n At least three homes<\/strong> suffered serious damage<\/strong>. Others had screens torn<\/strong>, aluminum siding peeled back<\/strong>, and sheds destroyed<\/strong>. Resident Eddie Dee<\/strong>, who slept through the worst of it, was only awakened when a neighbor knocked frantically<\/strong> at his door. \u201cThere were no warnings,\u201d Dee said. \u201cWe could have prepared<\/strong> better if we\u2019d known.\u201d<\/p>\n While the Highlands County Emergency Management Office<\/strong> reported only one minor injury<\/strong>, residents feel grateful<\/strong> the outcome wasn\u2019t far worse. Flying objects<\/strong> posed a serious threat, with the potential to cause harm<\/strong> or loss of life<\/strong>. \u201cIt was kind of like a thank-you moment,\u201d Dee added, \u201cthat nobody got seriously hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Was it a tornado?<\/strong><\/p>\n The National Weather Service<\/strong> is currently investigating whether the storm included a tornado touchdown<\/strong>. Early signs \u2014 like the extent and pattern of the damage<\/strong> \u2014 may help determine if this was a straight-line wind event<\/strong> or a brief twister<\/strong> that skipped across Sebring.<\/p>\n Storm season already knocking on Florida\u2019s door<\/strong><\/p>\n As hurricane season<\/strong> approaches, officials urge Highlands County residents<\/strong> to remain vigilant and stay informed. Early warning and storm readiness<\/strong> are critical \u2014 especially in mobile home parks<\/strong>, where winds can cause catastrophic damage<\/strong> in seconds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Strong winds slam Francis I Mobile Home Park SEBRING, Florida \u2014 A powerful spring storm struck Highlands County on Tuesday evening, hitting the Francis I Mobile Home Park in Sebring with unexpected force and leaving a trail of damaged homes, twisted aluminum, and scattered debris. The violent weather event arrived around 8:35 p.m., with residents […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":2466,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n