10 years ago: Central Florida remembers Groundhog Day tornadoes

'When am I ever going to land?' Twisters caused $200M in damage

LADY LAKE, Fla. – Thursday marks 10 years since the Central Florida Groundhog Day tornadoes that killed 21 people and injured more than 100 others.

Three tornadoes touched down, with the worst of the damage in Lady Lake, the Lake Mack area and New Smyrna Beach.

Lady Lake Mobile Home Park resident Maxine Pridell,87, told News 6 about being picked up by a twister.

"I felt like Dorothy, like floating through the air," Pridell said. "I thought 'When am I ever going to land?'"

Pridell suffered an injury to the head and her home was badly damaged but she said she was thankful to be alive.

After being tossed like a rag doll by the tornado, Pridell said she wiggles her feet so her rescuers could find her.

The twisters destroyed more than 800 homes and other buildings and damaged hundreds of others.

The deadly outbreak hit in the middle of the night while many were asleep, causing more than $200 million worth of damage.

Madaline Tardy, who lives in Sunshine Mobile Home Park with her husband, said it was 3:20 a.m. when she heard pebbles hitting her window, alerting her the tornado coming.

"Something told me to duck, you know, so I rolled off the couch," Tardy said. "I have no idea why I did that."

Next, Tardy said her windows blew in over the couch where she was just sitting. Their mobile home was completely destroyed.

The couple and their family was lucky. Three people the couple knew died.

"It was so sad," Tardy said of her neighbor who died. "I could hear her screaming."

It took about two years to rebuild the community at Sunshine Mobile Home Park. 

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