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Chopper 5 gets bird's-eye view of northern Palm Beach County tornado damage

'I haven't really seen that unless it's during hurricane season,' photographer Johann Hoffend says
Posted at 12:24 PM, Apr 30, 2023
and last updated 2023-04-30 21:16:08-04

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A billboard flattening Cast Stone International in North Palm Beach.

A boat flipped over at a dock nearby off Ellison Wilson Road, also in North Palm Beach.

Chopper 5 view of boat overturned on land day after tornado in North Palm Beach, April 30, 2023
A bird's-eye view from Chopper 5 shows a boat overturned on the ground next to a dock off Ellison Wilson Road the day after a tornado tore through the area, April 30, 2023, in North Palm Beach, Fla.

A roof ripped off an apartment complex as well in North Palm Beach. 

Chopper 5 captured the bird's-eye view of the damage and WPTV Chopper 5 photographer Johann Hoffend described the scene, including in Palm Beach Gardens.

"I haven't really seen that unless it's during hurricane season and that's a different ballgame, but this was pretty intensive," Hoffend said.  

At Brenda Lane and Ellison Wilson Road, boats were bundled together with debris in a yard.  

Chopper 5 view of tornado damage at Brenda Lane and Ellison Wilson Road in Palm Beach Gardens, April 30, 2023
WPTV Chopper 5 provides a bird's-eye view of the tornado damage at Brenda Lane and Ellison Wilson Road, April 30, 2023, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Off Sanctuary Cove Drive, huge trees were uprooted, with some having landed on a car.  

"A lot of clean-up, a lot of tree branches, a lot of roof damage and a lot of infrastructure itself, a lot of pipes broke with sprinklers and stuff, so that will be a headache, definitely at least a week," Hoffend said.  

Near PGA Boulevard and U.S. Highway 1, workers were busy trying to get a tree off a building.  

On Melody Lane, the shingles on so many roofs are gone.  

"It's been a pretty interesting week on the storm front, something I haven't seen in my 55 years as a Floridian," Hoffend said.

Now, a familiar site after major storms: blue tarps are being placed on roofs as damage is repaired.