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Tornado Rips Into Pensacola; Buildings Damaged, No One Hurt

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The Associated Press

Published: October 19, 2007

PENSACOLA - A tornado damaged a church, a day care center and the city's major shopping mall Thursday as violent thunderstorms made their way across the western Florida Panhandle. There were no reports of injuries.

The twister damaged roofs of several homes and buildings in downtown Pensacola and tossed debris around. It first touched down around 11:15 a.m.

Escambia County sheriff's spokesman Glenn Austin said the Greater Little Rock Baptist Church's roof was damaged, as was its day care center. But children there had been moved to safety before the tornado struck, he said.

'They heard the warnings, grabbed the kids and followed the drill,' he said.

Near the church, Leeann Franzonne said she and her 3-year-old son, Gabriel, stood on their porch and watched as the tornado formed and dipped into nearby trees. They took shelter inside when the tornado approached.

'It sounded creepy, like a bunch of cars were driving over my house,' Franzonne said about an hour later as emergency crews directed traffic through her neighborhood and worked to restore power. A section of twisted metal from the church hung over a power line in Franzonne's yard.

The twister 'felt like an earthquake,' said Lindsey Lassiter, manager of Cordova Mall's Express for Men store. She said the ceiling in her store was damaged and that water was pouring in.

Officials at a hospital across the street from the mall said no wounded shoppers had been brought to the emergency room.

Another hospital also reported no injuries.
Forecasters said the bad weather was expected to clear out of the area today.

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