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CNN Live At Daybreak

Florida Fury: Palm Beach County Tornado

Aired August 08, 2003 - 06:13   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to Florida now, Palm Beach County, where an unexpected tornado has taken its toll, 500 homes damaged or completely destroyed. They have power lines out and down this morning, the trees are down, cars are flipped over.
Let's go to Palm Beach Gardens, one of the areas where the twister's bull's-eye hit. Marybel Rodriguez is with us.

Good morning -- Marybel.

MARYBEL RODRIGUEZ, WFOR-TV REPORTER: Carol, good morning.

Palm Beach County declared a state of emergency. More than 21,000 people are without power and it could be a while until it is restored.

Now just take a look behind me, a flipped tractor-trailer. Just goes to show how powerful that tornado was. It also destroyed hundreds of homes and more than 200 residents have been displaced.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARYBEL RODRIGUEZ, WFOR-TV REPORTER (voice-over): Looking down from the sky, you can see the devastating path the tornado took as it touched down on Garden Walk Mobile Home Park in Palm Beach Gardens.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me and my kids were sitting at our dinner table and we was getting ready to eat dinner, and all of a sudden lights flashed, the home just started shaking and we all ran to the windows looking. We could see debris flying in the air, stuff just up -- just like uplifting.

RODRIGUEZ: One driver on I-95 managed to capture the images with his video camera as the tornado touched ground. Meanwhile, frightened residents took cover as the tornado's strong force ripped roofs off mobile homes, overturned cars and downed power lines, leaving thousands of homes in the dark. The strength of the tornado damaged or destroyed about 500 homes.

This woman describes the horrifying moment when the tornado hit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounded like a train coming through my house. Everything started shaking, the cabinets, everything was flying out. We heard this loud crash and we went to go into the bathroom in the hallway, and then we looked up and the skylight in the bathroom took off. RODRIGUEZ: The first tornado was spotted about 5:13 Thursday evening at a strip mall near Jupiter. The tornado so powerful it peeled debris from at least 32 stores as well as a Pepsi-Cola plant nearby. The storms also wrecked havoc on roadways right in the middle of rush hour traffic. Tractor-trailers were blown into street canals and downed trees are blocking several streets.

The tornado also touched down in nearby Riviera Beach. This home, just a few years old, now with windows blown out, the framing pushed in and the roof ripped off, leaving a gapping hole.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How terrifying was this for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very terrifying. We just -- I thought this was it. I really did. It was just terrible. But thank God we're fine.

RODRIGUEZ: Mother Nature has definitely caused a disaster, destroying hundreds of homes and leaving thousands in the dark and with no place to call home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And live pictures of this tractor-trailer flipped over shows how strong the tornado hit. Fortunately, no major injuries have been reported, however, looting has, officials tell us. Two people have been arrested for just that.

Now once the sun comes up, clean up will begin.

We're live in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Marybel Rodriguez for CNN.

COSTELLO: Marybel, we were just curious about that tractor- trailer, is the cab still on that thing or is it just the trailer part that flipped over?

RODRIGUEZ: It's just the actual trailer that flipped over. And just probably about half a mile from here, there's another one inside a canal. Pretty bad.

COSTELLO: Yes, but at least, you know, I guess nobody died and that is something to be thankful for for sure.

Marybel Rodriguez.

RODRIGUEZ: That's right. And they will rebuild.

COSTELLO: Yes, they will.

Thank you very much, Marybel Rodriguez, from our affiliate WFOR in Miami.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM AT www.fdch.com






Aired August 8, 2003 - 06:13   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's go to Florida now, Palm Beach County, where an unexpected tornado has taken its toll, 500 homes damaged or completely destroyed. They have power lines out and down this morning, the trees are down, cars are flipped over.
Let's go to Palm Beach Gardens, one of the areas where the twister's bull's-eye hit. Marybel Rodriguez is with us.

Good morning -- Marybel.

MARYBEL RODRIGUEZ, WFOR-TV REPORTER: Carol, good morning.

Palm Beach County declared a state of emergency. More than 21,000 people are without power and it could be a while until it is restored.

Now just take a look behind me, a flipped tractor-trailer. Just goes to show how powerful that tornado was. It also destroyed hundreds of homes and more than 200 residents have been displaced.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARYBEL RODRIGUEZ, WFOR-TV REPORTER (voice-over): Looking down from the sky, you can see the devastating path the tornado took as it touched down on Garden Walk Mobile Home Park in Palm Beach Gardens.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Me and my kids were sitting at our dinner table and we was getting ready to eat dinner, and all of a sudden lights flashed, the home just started shaking and we all ran to the windows looking. We could see debris flying in the air, stuff just up -- just like uplifting.

RODRIGUEZ: One driver on I-95 managed to capture the images with his video camera as the tornado touched ground. Meanwhile, frightened residents took cover as the tornado's strong force ripped roofs off mobile homes, overturned cars and downed power lines, leaving thousands of homes in the dark. The strength of the tornado damaged or destroyed about 500 homes.

This woman describes the horrifying moment when the tornado hit.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It sounded like a train coming through my house. Everything started shaking, the cabinets, everything was flying out. We heard this loud crash and we went to go into the bathroom in the hallway, and then we looked up and the skylight in the bathroom took off. RODRIGUEZ: The first tornado was spotted about 5:13 Thursday evening at a strip mall near Jupiter. The tornado so powerful it peeled debris from at least 32 stores as well as a Pepsi-Cola plant nearby. The storms also wrecked havoc on roadways right in the middle of rush hour traffic. Tractor-trailers were blown into street canals and downed trees are blocking several streets.

The tornado also touched down in nearby Riviera Beach. This home, just a few years old, now with windows blown out, the framing pushed in and the roof ripped off, leaving a gapping hole.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How terrifying was this for you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very terrifying. We just -- I thought this was it. I really did. It was just terrible. But thank God we're fine.

RODRIGUEZ: Mother Nature has definitely caused a disaster, destroying hundreds of homes and leaving thousands in the dark and with no place to call home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

And live pictures of this tractor-trailer flipped over shows how strong the tornado hit. Fortunately, no major injuries have been reported, however, looting has, officials tell us. Two people have been arrested for just that.

Now once the sun comes up, clean up will begin.

We're live in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Marybel Rodriguez for CNN.

COSTELLO: Marybel, we were just curious about that tractor- trailer, is the cab still on that thing or is it just the trailer part that flipped over?

RODRIGUEZ: It's just the actual trailer that flipped over. And just probably about half a mile from here, there's another one inside a canal. Pretty bad.

COSTELLO: Yes, but at least, you know, I guess nobody died and that is something to be thankful for for sure.

Marybel Rodriguez.

RODRIGUEZ: That's right. And they will rebuild.

COSTELLO: Yes, they will.

Thank you very much, Marybel Rodriguez, from our affiliate WFOR in Miami.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM AT www.fdch.com