In Manatee County, a tornado with winds reaching 127 mph swept through the town of Duette, 40 miles southeast of Tampa. killing two people and injuring five others, four of them children under 10, sheriff spokesman Dave Bristow said.
The EF2-rated tornado, or "strong" twister, ripped a 300-foot-wide swath of destruction along a nine-mile stretch of the county, the National Weather Servicesaid.
“I’m amazed to see anybody got out of this alive,” Manatee County Sheriff Brad Steube told the Associated Press.Bristow identified the victims as Steven Wilson, pronounced dead at the scene, and his wife, who died at a local hospital. One of the injured was his son; four were grandchildren between 6 and 10 years old, Bristow said. The survivors' injuries were not life-threatening, he said.
In nearby Sarasota County, another EF2 storm with winds reaching 132 mph blasted a mile stretch with a width varying from 350 yards to 100 yards. Gov. Rick Scott toured some of the wreckage in Siesta Key, a barrier island between the Gulf of Mexico and Roberts Bay hammered by the storm.
Sarasota Fire Rescue reported multiple rescues, and the county Emergency Operations Center said preliminary damage assessments indicated 45 properties suffered a total of more than $3 million in damage.
Florida Power and Light reported that 17,000 customers lost power, although the utility tweeted that most customers would have power restored by Monday.
"Crews are responding safely and as quickly as possible to restore power," FPL said in a statement. "We've added resources to help speed restoration efforts."
The regional American Red Cross said volunteers were responding in both counties.
Photos posted to social media showed dramatic damage to homes. The storm damaged several condominiums on Siesta Key, where winds were estimated to have reached 70 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Sarasota County government Twitter account reported no serious injuries
The severe storms swept as far south as Naples, 170 miles south of Tampa, where gusts topping 80 mph.
Weather service meteorologist Richard Rude told USA TODAY that tornadoes actually aren't that rare in a region better known for hurricanes.
"Particularly when you are dealing with an El Niño, where the jet streams drop farther south, it's conducive to having some wild storms," Rude said.
