SCOTT DETROW, HOST:
Extensive debris cleanup is underway across Florida since Hurricane Milton tore through the state Wednesday. In St. Lucie County, more than a hundred miles east of where the storm made landfall, rescue and recovery operations are ongoing after tornadoes killed at least six people. NPR's Sergio Martínez-Beltrán joins us from St. Lucie County. Hey there.
SERGIO MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.
DETROW: So these tornadoes happened hours before Milton made landfall, and they took a lot of people by surprise. What are you hearing about what exactly happened?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Yeah. I mean, surprised is the key word here, Scott. There were more than 100 tornado alerts that went out that day. But people were much more focused on the hurricane on its way than tornadoes in this area. I talked to Shane Ostrander. He and his wife live in Fort Pierce.
SHANE OSTRANDER: I was in my shorts. We were going to make dinner, watch a movie. We were waiting for that 9 o'clock - the winds to start picking up. It was 3 o'clock.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: And things changed quickly for Ostrander when the tornadoes touched down here. He says he only had a few seconds to run with his wife to a safer room in the house.
DETROW: She said, we've got to go, and we just ran. I slammed the - our bedroom door and then the closet door. And that's where we were when we heard the boom, boom - two bombs. And it was just ringing in my ears. This insulation was everywhere, just flying in the air.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: His house is pretty much gone. There are no walls. It's pretty incredible to see. I mean, you can see where the bedroom was because the bed is still there, but everything else is destroyed.
DETROW: Wow, a bed but no walls. I mean, can you tell us more broadly about the extent of the tornado damage in the community?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Driving through these roads - it's pretty surreal, Scott. There are semi trucks flipped on the side of the road. Power lines are down. Lots of homes without roofs - there's a gas station where the only thing that remains are the pumps. Many of the folks here are still processing what happened. But for the people I talked, like Zippy Sandler, this is a lot to deal with at once.
ZIPPY SANDLER: I'm in shock. I'm very overwhelmed, and I'm trying to figure out the first steps, so I'm trying to make calls. If - I think if I had electricity and Wi-Fi, I could figure it out, but without that, it's hard.
DETROW: There's one community in St. Lucie County where a lot of people died. What can you tell us about it?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Yeah. It's called the Spanish Lakes Country Club Village. This is a community for people 55 and up. And many of the homes here are manufactured, so they're not as resistant to strong winds. And when the tornado ripped through this area, there was widespread destruction, and it killed at least six people. Here's St. Lucie County sheriff Keith Pearson.
KEITH PEARSON: So we have a lot of residents who left. And with the amount of destruction it left behind there, we know people lived there. We just don't know where they are.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: He says recovery efforts in the area continue. And officials just want to be sure everyone is accounted for, including people evacuated. And it's an emotional time for Sheriff Pearson. You know, he says this is his community, and it's the worst natural disaster this area has seen.
DETROW: So what happens next?
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: Well, officials here are focused on recovery. Rebuilding will take a long time. But in the meantime, there are state and federal agencies on the ground, as well as the Red Cross, assisting people. And the county has applied for federal assistance, something they hope will come through sooner rather than later.
DETROW: That is Sergio Martínez-Beltrán in St. Lucie County, Florida. Thank you so much.
MARTÍNEZ-BELTRÁN: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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