WATCH RADAR: Tornado Causes Extensive Damage In Polk County

LAKELAND, FL — Polk County residents awoke Saturday to find a tornado had touched down in Kathleen and other parts of the county late Friday night peeling the roof off Kathleen Middle School, damaging homes, shattering car windows and uprooting trees. The tornado also caused downed power lines and power outages but there were no reports of deaths or serious injuries.

"Kathleen Middle was damaged during last night’s severe weather and, as a result, classes for Kathleen Middle will be canceled on Monday Oct. 21 and Tuesday Oct. 22," Polk County Public Schools announced Saturday.

The National Weather Service on Saturday released radar of the tornadic supercell that moved from eastern Hillsborough County to western Polk County late Friday night while the Polk County Sheriff's Office released an extensive list of damage reports.

The National Weather Service said the strength of the tornado was between an EF-1 and EF-2, depending on the area of the city and extent of damage.

"The tornado initially touched down in the area of Lakeland Linder Airport," the Polk County Sheriff's Office reported Saturday. "The storm continued in a north, northeast direction stretching from the airport as far north as Tom Bryant Lane."

Polk County canceled a planned Haunted Halloween Hayride & Happenings Saturday night at Loyce Harpe Park in Mulberry as a result of the tornado. Those who had purchased advanced tickets will receive a refund.

Sheriff Grady Judd surveyed the damage on Saturday. He said many people were dealing with damage to their homes and property, some severe.

"Keep them in your thoughts and prayers, and if there is anything you can do to help your friends and neighbors, do it," Judd said on Saturday. "We still have lots of rain, and the possibility of more severe weather today, so be careful. Please drive safely."

Specially assigned deputies were patrolling areas damaged by the tornado Saturday night and were expected to continue patrols again on Sunday to assist residents and provide security.

Meanwhile, the sheriff's office planned to transport two crews of weekend work inmates to those areas on Sunday to clear debris and assist with the removal of fallen trees in the areas of Mount Tabor Road and the Kathleen Middle School area.

The work crews were expected to arrive by 8:30 a.m. Sunday and work through the morning and afternoon.

The sheriff's office said the following roads were affected by the storm but had reopened by Saturday night:

• New Tampa Hwy/Hibiscus Pkwy E.
• Clark Road/New Tampa Highway
• Walker Rd/Swindell Road
• Bella Vista Street W/Galloway Rd N
• Bella Vista Street W/Sutton Road
• Swindell Road E of Kirkland
• Publix Road/MountTabor Road

The sheriff's office said multiple areas were hit by the storm, including the New and Old Tampa Highway corridors and Timber Ridge areas.

"The Polk County Sheriff's Office Emergency Communications Center received dozens of reports of damage," the sheriff's office said. "Mount Tabor and the surrounding streets sustained damage to structures, power lines and numerous trees were reported being down or damaged."

The sheriff's office said the tornado continued up the Kathleen Road corridor causing damage to Kathleen Middle School and numerous residential structures.

"Deputies from our Northwest District and from across Polk County responded to the areas of reported damage to assist in damage assessments and locating any people needing emergency medical services," the sheriff's office said. "Polk County Fire Rescue responded to the area to assess damage and provide services as needed."

The sheriff's office said there were no serious injuries reported to either the sheriff's office or Police County Fire Rescue as a result of the tornado.

"Deputies maintained a presence in the areas affected as security," the sheriff's office said. "Deputies also remained on scene where there were power lines down in the roadway until Lakeland Electric could arrive and fix the downed lines as well as restore power."

Polk County Fire Rescue and Polk County Emergency Management officials set up a temporary command post along Kathleen Road and Galloway Road.

The sheriff's office also released a partial list of some of the calls received by the agency as of late Friday night into early Saturday morning.

"These are only examples of people who called," noted the sheriff's office. "There are many examples of damaged property where we did not receive a call."

• Vehicle Crash; 11:10 p.m. I-4 between Polk Parkway and Memorial Blvd. Officials said a semi-tractor trailer was pushed over by the wind and collided with a vehicle. No serious injuries were reported.
• A highway obstruction was reported along Old Tampa Highway and Clark Road at 11:19 pm. Electric lines were down. Lakeland Electric responded.
• Tornado damage was reported 11:21 p.m. along Timberlake Road E in Kathleen. Damage was reported to the house,barn, and garage. Windows were blown out in the home.
• Tornado damage was reported 11:25 pm at Bella Vista Street W and Walker Road in Kathleen. The tornado hit houses in the area. Trees were damaged and were laying in the road.
• An obstruction was reported in the road 11:26 p.m. at Polston Road and Mt. Tabor Road. Trees were down along the road. Polston Road was completely blocked. Trees were down on Sleepy Hill Road.
• Roadway obstruction was reported 11:27 p.m. along Knights Station Road and Galloway Road in Kathleen. Electric lines were down. A power pole snapped. Lakeland Electric was on the scene.
• Tornado damage reported 11:28 p.m. at Manor Loop. Damage was reported to a home. A window was broken.
• An obstruction was reported 11:32 p.m. along Clark Road and New Tampa Highway. Power lines were down.
• Tornado damage reported 11:31 p.m. along Manor Loop. A tree went through a roof. No injuries were reported.
• Roadway obstruction reported 11:34 p.m. along Kathleen Road and Tom Bryan Lane. The road was completely blocked by trees. The blockage was believed to stretch for more than a mile.
• Tornado damage was reported 11:34 p.m. at Ashley Pointe Drive. A fence and car were damaged. No injuries were reported.
• Tornado damage was reported 11:23 p.m. at Youngs Ridge Road. There was tree damage, damage to a mobile home park and roof damage.
• Roadway obstruction reported 11:34 p.m. along Highland Grove Drive and Willow Wisp Drive. Power lines were down. Power was out in the area. A tree and fence were knocked down.
• Tornado damage reported 11:35 p.m. at Publix Road between Mount Tabor and Sunnyside Drive in Kathleen. Power lines were down. Roof damage was reported. Trees were down and homes were damaged.
• Tornado damage reported 11:35 p.m. along Campbell Road West between Manor Drive and Ashley Pointed Drive. A tree was in the road. A vehicle was damaged. No one was in the vehicle.
• Tornado damage reported 11:37 p.m. at Timberlake Road W. The caller reported that a neighbor's home received significant damage. Trees were down. A power outage was reported in the area. A tree was blocking the road. No injuries were reported.
• Tornado damage was reported 11:39 pm at Ashley Pointe Drive. Windows were damaged on a car. One person suffered a minor injury from glass breakage.
• Tornado damage was reported at 11:43 p.m. along Highland Grove Drive. Damage was reported to the windows of a vehicle. There was glass breakage in a home and a power outage. No injuries were reported.
• Tornado damage was reported at 11:44 p.m. along Valley Farm Road. Power lines were down. An electric pole was down. No injuries were reported.
• An obstruction was reported 12:03 a.m. along Ariana Street and Southern Avenue. A tree was in the road.
• Tornado damage reported 12:04 a.m. along Chart Prine Road. Trees were down in the area. A vehicle was damaged. A pool screen, carport and shed were damaged. Power lines were hanging low to the ground.

The public is invited to attend a Local Mitigation Strategy group meeting at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21 to discuss the county's plan on how to handle future emergencies.

The meeting will take place at the Polk County Emergency Operations Center, 1890 Jim Keene Blvd. in Winter Haven.

For more information, contact Polk County Emergency Management Planner Jerri Kaplan at 863-298-7033 or via email: jerrikaplan@polk-county.net.

Watch radar of the tornado below courtesy of the National Weather Service: