Fort Pierce residents claim tornado swept through neighborhood, tearing off roof

FORT PIERCE, Fla - Residents were displaced from their homes after high winds swept through a condo subdivision in Fort Pierce Tuesday.

As of Wednesday morning, National Weather Service (NWS) officials have not classified the event as a tornado, but rather a damaging wind event.

"The County Emergency Management Director has surveyed the damage and collected information and photos," said NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologist Scott M. Spratt. "Residents impacted by the wind event will also be interviewed by the NWS."

A determination of whether the damage was caused by a tornado will be made by Thursday morning, according to Spratt.

Tuesday afternoon at the Indian Pines Village, large parts of the roof were ripped off, and patched over with tarp.

Both of the residents in each of the condos confirm they were home at the time.

They say the windows were rattling, and it sounded like a loud boom when the roofs were torn off.

One other resident whose condo was not affected, Dennis Podosek, said he was standing across the street when he says he saw a tornado, and suddenly debris was flying through the air.

"It was kind of twisting. Then all of a sudden, it kind of hit the roof and it lifted stuff, " said Podosek.

He says it was all over in 30 seconds.

The American Red Cross has moved one of the residents and her two sons to a hotel tonight.

The other remains in her condo, since the roof has been covered over.