ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – Jimmy Baker was cleaning up after Thursday’s tornado in St. Johns County snapped a tree in his yard, took out a powerline to his house and left a damaged roof.
The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF1 tornado with winds up to 90 to 100 mph hit the TrailMark and Samara Lakes neighborhoods.
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His home is located off Pacetti Road near the Wolrd Golf Village. Just before the tornado hit, he and other neighbors recalled hearing a loud roaring noise similar to a train.
So, the 81-year-old and his wife went to the bathroom to hide in the bathtub for cover.
“I could see the tops of the trees coming off right through here and something went across that way. It didn’t last long,” Baker said.
Although a tree fell and took out a powerline, Baker said he and his wife are lucky another massive tree did not fall on the home.
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“I was afraid something would happen to the house and take us with it,” Baker said. “If you believe in God, God was looking out for us.”
Right across from the Bakers’ residence, there was more storm damage.
A father and his sons were taking cover from the storm.
Bradley Miley, like Baker, said he and his dad heard what sounded like a train approaching their home.
“He told me to get the mattress off one of the beds and we hunkered up in the hallway and put it over ourselves. It was a good 10 to 15 seconds. The craziest time of my life,” Miley said.
Lannette Hamblin, who was driving around to check out the storm damage with her own eyes, also had a storm story to tell.
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In the distance, it sounded like a freight train. Then all of a sudden it went dead silent. The trees quit blowing for a second,” Hamblin said. “Everything I had hanging outside was all torn or ripped away.”
The storm did not displace anyone or cause significant structural damage to homes. The damage was mainly located in the Lennar at TrailMark subdivision, the Samara Lakes subdivision and areas along Pacetti Road near both subdivisions.