Florida tornadoes wreck three dozen homes

The weather in Florida is like its politics, bad.
The State gave the world Bush. Bush gave us
enhanced global warming and the circle of events
is closing.

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Florida tornadoes wreck three dozen homes

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) -- Powerful storms damaged at least three dozen
homes as heavy rain and strong wind swept across the Southeast on Monday.

The worst damage was in Florida, between Tampa and the Georgia border, where
three people were injured and three homes were destroyed.

In Pasco County, along the Gulf coast just north of Tampa, two people were
taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. (Watch the storm's
aftermath )

More than two dozen homes were damaged as a storm passed the Tampa Bay Golf
& County Club shortly before noon, sheriff's deputy Doug Tobin said.

A roof was blown off a home in nearby San Antonio, and several trees were
knocked over by high winds, one briefly blocking a county road intersection
in New Port Richey, Tobin said.(See damage caused by the tornadoes)

Farther north, near Lake City, about 60 miles west of Jacksonville, at least
two homes were destroyed and 10 others damaged.

The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for the area
Monday morning, and weather service meteorologist Scott Carroll said the
damage most likely resulted from a tornado.

"Typically you don't get complete structural collapse of a house from
straight line winds," Carroll said.(Watch damage in Daytona Beach )

He said weather service officials would examine the Lake City and
surrounding Columbia County area Tuesday to determine whether a tornado was
responsible.

"It's amazing we don't have serious injuries or deaths," Columbia County
Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Laurie Windham said. "We are incredibly
blessed today."

Windham said one person in the area was treated for cuts related to the
storms.

The Tallahassee area was also swamped by rain as the storms moved through,
with more than five inches falling at the regional airport, the most there
on a Christmas Day since 1897, meteorologist Ron Block said.

Powerful storms damaged at least a dozen homes as heavy rain and strong wind
swept across the Southeast on Monday.

The worst damage was near Lake City, about 60 miles west of Jacksonville in
northern Florida, where Columbia County authorities said two homes were
destroyed and at least 10 others were damaged by what may have been a
tornado.

"It's amazing we don't have serious injuries or deaths," Columbia County
Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Laurie Windham said. "We are incredibly
blessed today."

Windham said one person was treated for cuts.

The National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for the area
Monday morning.

In Pasco County, along the Gulf coast north of Tampa, a roof was blown off a
home and some trees were knocked over, with one briefly blocking a county
road intersection in New Port Richey, sheriff's deputy Doug Tobin said.