Right now, people in Largo are still picking up after a tornado ripped through their manufactured home community on Wednesday.
Largo Fire Rescue said there were more than 20 homes in two mobile home parks that had major damage after the storm. More than half of those were in Ranchero Village.
Debris from Wednesday’s storm now lines the streets of Ranchero Village, as the homeowners association said cleanup is expected to begin early next week.
“It was depressing,” Bruce Jenkins said.
Jenkins lives in Canada for the majority of the year.
“It’s too hot to come down here in the summertime,” Jenkins said.
But, news about the storm got him on a flight here to check on his home.
“I’ve lost all the mansards, my air conditioning unit got flipped upside down. So, we’ll find out tomorrow whether it’s still working or not and no more holes in the roof,” Jenkins said.
Although many people are recovering, for others, the cleanup process has yet to start. Belongings are still scattered across yards and in the trees.
“In Ranchero Village, there were five homes that were destroyed,” Community Risk Reduction Specialist Summer Mahr said.
Largo Fire Rescue said
Alert Pinellas
did send a warning message about thunderstorms in the area on Wednesday.
“That is something that residents can sign up for for the future if they want to if they want to receive any emergency notifications, they can choose to get a text message a phone call or an email,” Mahr said.
Hurricane season has only just begun.
“As far as coming into hurricane season, this is kind of a wake up call,” Largo Mayor Woody Brown said.
The city urges residents to sign up now and prepare for storms by securing any loose items.
“Even if there’s not a tornado, those afternoon thunderstorms regularly have 30 to 50 miles an hour wind. If you got debris or stuff lying around, it can do damage your house or your neighbor’s house,” Brown said.
“Well, this isn’t my primary home. If it goes, it goes. It’s not a big deal for me. A lot of people down here, this is their primary home and this is all they’ve got and they’re really struggling. It’s sad to see it happen,” Jenkins said.
The homeowner’s association said neighbors have been helping each other find the resources they need.
If you would like to help donate to tornado victims in Ranchero, you can email [email protected].
