Related video: St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office facility damaged by tornado
FORT PIERCE, Fla. (WFLA) — Multiple people were killed at a senior community as Hurricane Milton spawned tornadoes in Florida, according to local reports.
The fatalities occurred at the Spanish Lakes Country Club in Fort Pierce, the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to NBC affiliate WPTV and ABC affiliate WPBF. However, it’s unclear how many people were killed.
Dozens of agencies, including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, responded to the community where dozens of homes are being searched as search and rescue operations are currently underway.
“We have dozens of homes in St. Lucie County that have been damaged, some catastrophic damage,” St. Lucie County spokesman Erick Gill told WPTV. “We are working with the St. Lucie County Fire District … National Guard, as well as units from the sheriff’s office and even first responders from surrounding counties to help with search and rescue.”
Gill said the goal is to help survivors and do damage assessment.
“We have three shelters that were already open, but we’re looking at converting another school to a fourth shelter to take care of those who may have been displaced by the tornadoes that ripped through our area this afternoon,” Gill said.
Gov. Ron DeSantis said there have been 116 tornado warnings with 19 confirmed touch downs.
Kevin Guthrie, the director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, said about 125 homes were destroyed statewide, mostly mobile homes in senior communities.
Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key as a Category 3 storm around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday.
For those who are interested in helping hurricane victims, Kansans in Wichita and Cowley County are collecting supplies to take to North Carolina. KSN’s parent company, Nexstar, has also partnered with the American Red Cross to collect donations.
