ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — A year after a tornado leveled her home and upended her life, Rosie Quaranta stands in a new house with a lake view, reflecting on the storm, her losses and the small miracles that helped her rebuild.
"I now live in this lovely house. … It's a new world," Quaranta said. "It's a better house than what I had before. I've got some of my own furniture, a screened-in patio, … and God gave me these gorgeous little flowers in front of my lake."
Quaranta's story is one of resilience. On Oct. 9, 2024, she was at her home in the Spanish Lakes Country Club community in St. Lucie County when an EF1 tornado tore through her mobile home park. She left minutes after the storm hit. Little did she know a second tornado — an EF3 — was still on its way.
"I had this little windstorm. I thought," said Quaranta. "It came through my house, and I was standing in my kitchen, and was about 10 feet from my dining room windows, and they shook. "I thought I'd better get out of here. So I left, like 15 minutes before the tornado really hit."
That EF-3 tornado took the lives of six people in her neighborhood, including three of her neighbors.
When Quaranta returned to her home, it was in rubble.
"Yeah, somebody called and said, 'Rosie, your house is gone.' I said, 'Yeah, right. What are you talking about?' My house was leveled to the floor — leveled. Wall to wall nothing," said Quaranta.
Despite losing nearly everything, Quaranta said she has moved forward. She credits the kindness of friends who took her in immediately after the storm.
"This lady knew me for three days and kept begging me to come live with her," she said. "I stayed on a neighbor's couch, then finally moved in with her. People can be so nice. It was unbelievable."
WATCH BELOW: Video shows rescue of Rosie Quaranta's neighbor after tornado
Her reflections are deeply personal. Quaranta said she and her late husband were married at that home. She said he would have been devastated to see its destruction.
Yet sentimental belongings found in the storm's wake helped her move on — with spirits high.
"My friends came and they picked up little things, and I might have about ten Santa Clauses. I don't know what houses they came from, but they were big enough that people could find them," joked Quaranta. "But they found little things, and my wedding rings were found. I couldn't believe it."
The storm also changed her outlook on possessions.
"I no longer save things," Quaranta said. "I used to keep little things because I might need them. Well, I don't need anything anymore. I would like a companion, maybe a partner, but I have a house, I'm alive, and I'm getting better."
Quaranta said she has also adjusted to the changes in her neighborhood. Many of the mobile homes destroyed last year have been replaced with new manufactured homes, while others remain empty lots or green space.
"I don't look back. To look back is sadness," said Quaranta. "My house is just a yard. I mean, it's great. Grass is growing there now, but there's always tomorrow. Sun's going to come up tomorrow, whether you like it or not, and whether you're sad or happy, it's coming up like clockwork."
The Day The Sky Turned
TORNADO TIMELINE: When, where the storms hit on Oct. 9, 2024
It wasn't always easy to move forward. She lost her home — and many of her neighbors lost their lives, including the man next door, whose wife had come to check on her moments before the second tornado struck.
"Apparently, she knew it was a tornado that hit my patio. I was oblivious. She lost her husband, and she had a broken back," said Quaranta, "And the other neighbor, he couldn't find his girlfriend."
Quaranta said for a long time she still had to process those memories.
"I didn't realize a lot of things. Things came back very slowly. I think only now have I probably got most of my memory back," said Quaranta. "I guess it was the shock because I couldn't have faced it."
Now, Quaranta is living in another manufactured home she purchased in the same park in the Spanish Lakes Country Club community.
"I found this house as I was thinking I wasn't going to be able to afford one because they were getting expensive, but there was one for sale, and I got lucky. I found it and bought it that day," said Quaranta.
Reflecting on the storm's impact, Quaranta shares a message of hope and gratitude.
"I just, you know, you do what you gotta do. And you just live your life. I don't know why I'm still here. It's unbelievable how this old lady could still live, but here I am," said Quaranta.
For her, surviving the tornado was not just about rebuilding a home — it was about rediscovering the value of life, community and the small blessings that make it meaningful.
