Christmas Day Storm in DeLand, Florida, West Volusia County

[Kevin]

"More than 200 homes in a number of mobile home parks were damaged west of Daytona Beach around DeLand, where another F-2 tornado was confirmed, the Volusia County Property Appraiser's Office said."
http://www.cnn.com/2006/WEATHER/12/26/storms.ap/index.html

Later coverage with more detail from the Daytona Beach News-Journal Online:
'Storms destroy homes, injure residents across Volusia County '
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16355903/
http://www.news-journalonline.com/special/xmasstorms/

As it happened, I was just a couple of miles away on a holiday visit when the storm came through. After bringing in the upset horses, we waited out the storm cell in a stable, then went ahead with the holiday. On Tuesday I learned of the extensive damage nearby - as of this writing, quite under-reported in the general media - and took these photos.

Due to breaking news timing and holiday schedules these images are posted now as the raw sequence of a walkthrough of the F2 tornado strike area in Deland, Florida, in west Volusia County, near Daytona Beach, about an hour north of Orlando.

http://www.artificeimages.com/kmm/Christmas_Day_Storm_2006/index.html

An F2 tornado is estimated to have wind speeds between 113 and 157 mph. According to neighbors, the destruction of one of these homes also caused the death of a woman and baby.

Some of the story of destruction in this neighborhood can be traced by the various distances now between unmoved concrete front steps and the dwellings they had led to on Christmas morning. In this case, only a short distance, though the home was utterly demolished:


(Compare to other examples in the sequence.)

This debris of one neighbor's house was blown up against another's.



I hope this gallery of pictures can tell some of the story.

http://www.artificeimages.com/kmm/Christmas_Day_Storm_2006/index.html

Photos were taken in the area where a tornado destroyed many manufactured houses, cutting a swath through this neighborhood:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=deland,+fl&ie=UTF8&om=1&z=18&ll=29.074069,-81.302497&spn=0.002738,0.005284&t=h&iwloc=addr

(Some names and photo backstory can be provided to media channels on request. Please direct publication inquiries to rights @ ArtificeImages.com.)

[tetratheprincess]

So Sorry to see that .. my heart with these people who lost their houses

[Kevin]

DeLand, Florida and the surrounding area was hit again by tornados just over a month later, even harder with several people killed:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/02/02/florida.storm/index.html

[sumayya]

well kevin...i was so sorry for that..but in the samee time..it makes me wonder..what is the role of architecture to resist tornados and other natural disastors...?
and may god bless those people..

sumayya

[catti]

Looks horribe...