High Winds Demolish And Damage Homes In Glades County

MOORE HAVEN, FL. -- The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF0 tornado touched done in Moore Haven this morning. The tornado was approximately 50 feet wide with a length of track approximately 1.6 miles. It is not believed that the tornado was on the ground for that entire track but hopped from one location to another.

This morning around 5:22am Glades County Sheriff’s Office notified Emergency Management that a citizen had called dispatch saying her roof had been damaged. A few pieces of the homeowner’s roof was found in a field across the Caloosahatchee River.

Emergency Management also noted that a tree fell on Riverside Drive blocking part of the road, Moore Haven Fire Department responded to clear the debris and found another power line down. Glades Electric responded to fix the power lines. River Road, across from the Caloosahatchee River, had limbs down that were cleared by EM and MHFD. 

 Further assessments found that on Park Ave a porch had been torn off of a mobile home that was not being lived in at the time. Also, two older mobile homes were demolished off of Yaun Road, they also were not being lived in at the time. Other damage at Yaun Road was a truck window that was broken due to flying debris. On Park Ave the top of a tree had been torn off. The damage is believed to have been caused by a possible tornado.

The vast majority of tornadoes are designated EF1 or EF0, also known as "weak" tornadoes. However, weak is a relative term for tornadoes, as even these can cause significant damage. F0 and F1 tornadoes are typically short-lived—since 1980 almost 75% of tornadoes rated weak stayed on the ground for 1 mile (1.6 km) or less.

EF0  damage is characterized by superficial damage to structures and vegetation. Well-built structures are typically unscathed, sometimes sustaining broken windows, with minor damage to roofs. Billboards and large signs can be knocked down. Trees may have large branches broken off, and can be uprooted if they have shallow roots. Any tornado that is confirmed but causes no damage (i.e. remains in open fields) is always rated EF0.