Falling trees barely miss preschoolers, boy in St. Petersburg home during EF-1 tornado
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Residents along 9th Avenue N in St. Petersburg spent Friday cleaning up after an EF-1 tornado touched down the day before. They also spent the day counting their blessings.
Wind speeds were up to 100 miles per hour around the path of the tornado, which stretched about a quarter mile between 9th and 10th Ave., near 56th Street N., the National Weather Service said.
Crews worked all day to remove a massive tree that fell on the roof of a preschool at St. Vincent’s Episcopal Church.
Storm damage in St. Petersburg
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No one was injured, which the director of the preschool said was a Christmas gift.
"We’re in the season of Advent which, in the church, is preparing for the birth of Jesus and this is the best Christmas gift that I could imagine because no one was hurt. Everybody walked away and, as I was saying yesterday, stuff is stuff, but people are priceless," Father Alexander Andujar said.
He said the preschool staff did a great job of keeping everyone safe.
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The school's director, Susan Sanders, said teachers had about 30 children lined up within about 15 seconds, just like they do during fire and tornado drills, and ushered them away from danger.
When they heard what sounded like a large thump, they moved into the hallway and into the bathrooms, and then sheltered in place.
All Children's preschool sustained damage when a tree fell during a tornado
"I think God’s hand was in all of this and I think that he just protected each and every one of us," Sanders said.
Andujar said the school has water damage and the roof will need to be replaced.
Residents nearby will also have to make repairs.
"I heard glass shattering. It sounded like there was wind like you’ve never ever experienced before," neighbor Amber Byers said. "We’ve been through hurricanes. We know wind, so it was unlike any wind I’ve ever heard."
Tree falls at preschool in St. Petersburg during tornado
Byers said her son had just left the living room to comfort his sister during the storm. Seconds later, a tree fell into the living room.
"He was inches and seconds from being either crushed or impaled by the tree that came through our front window," Byers said. "I was so thankful that he thought about his sister."
With Christmas a week away, their decorated tree is gone, and their house needs cleanup from flooding, but they're grateful to have their lives and for the community's support.
Mayor Ken Welch visited tornado victims Friday morning to survey the damage and meet the teachers and students at the preschool. Father Alexander Andujar said he hopes they can return to their classrooms in a few weeks, but the timeline is still not clear.
The church said they’re accepting donations for help with repairs on its website, www.stvinepiscopal.org.