TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Communities around Panama City are cleaning up Tuesday after at least four reported tornadoes touched down and destroyed several homes and businesses. Several people were hurt, but as of 2 p.m., no deaths have been reported as strong storms blew across the state.
LATEST FORECAST: Weather Authority Alert Day: Tornado Watch issued for Northeast Florida, Southeast Georgia until 6 p.m.
Video shows damage in the Lower Grand Lagoon area just outside of Panama City Beach. Neighbors checked on each other and walked through debris to make sure no one was trapped.
In the Pirate’s Cove community near the beach, homes were torn apart, roads were blocked trees were downed and a home was knocked off its foundation.
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The Bay County Sheriff’s Office shared pictures of some of the worst-hit areas. Apartments, marinas, and mobile home parks felt the wrath of the storm before it moved into Northeast Florida.
The scenes are reminiscent of the time Hurricane Ivan tore through in 2004, Hurricane Michael came through in 2018 as a Category 5 hurricane.
Florida’s CFO and fire marshal Jimmy Patronis was in Bay County on Tuesday afternoon, a place he calls home.
“You know, I’m supposed to be sitting on the floor of the Capitol right now listening to the Governor’s speech. And I told my guys, you know, it’s time for me to get back home. So I grew up right here. This is where I put my kids in school. And I need to make sure the people that I love and care about that grew up with are getting the attention they deserve,” Patronis said.
Patronis said at least a half dozen people have been injured and taken to the hospital. State and local officials are working to help as the Red Cross and Salvation Army assist. At least 40 structures were destroyed in the Panhandle with surrounding counties reporting severe damage as well.
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This comes as the state is in the middle of a home insurance crisis.
“I’ve already talked to a number of the carriers. I told him, this is an opportunity to lean forward, you know, people are going to be traumatized, they’re going to know that their claims are getting settled in with manner,” Patronis said.
As of noon, there were 87,000 accounts without power in the state. A total of 34 school districts were closed across the state on Tuesday.
Patronis said Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state of Florida are ready to help.
“We’re going to see both home and auto damage from this. We had some hail also from the storm, so we’re anticipating there will be some damage from that,” Patronis said. “People have paid their premiums and we want to make sure that the claims are handled in a swift manner and get them processed as soon as possible.”
Patronis also warned residents to be cautious of potential contractors reaching out to conduct repairs.
“You’ll see from times like this that there could be contractors that come in from out of market. Please err on the side of caution. Don’t sign anything. Only work with contractors that maybe you have a personal relationship or you can get a good reference from locally,” Patronis said. “Sometimes when we have out-of-state contractors, they are coming into the market to try to provide disaster assistance, sometimes you may not necessarily get what you thought you were going to get. So, at least if you take that precaution, don’t take the bait. Get some local references so you don’t stand a chance at getting hurt. Please don’t fall for some of these tactics.”
If you need mediation help with insurance companies, call the Consumer Services Helpline at 1-877-MY-FL-CFO or visit myfloridacfo.com.