‘Please don’t let me die here’: Man in Florida community talks about surviving fatal tornado
By Angela Rozier
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FORT PIERCE, Florida (WPBF) — A tornado survivor in St. Lucie County recounted his harrowing experience during the storms.
Emmanuel Ondrick was in the Spanish Lakes neighborhood when the tornado struck, resulting in the deaths of six people, as confirmed by the St. Lucie County sheriff.
Ondrick was with his 91-year-old father when they lost power around 4 p.m. Stepping outside, he alerted neighbors about the tornado threat.
“It sounded like a jet engine,” Ondrick said. “I immediately jumped up from the seat. I ran out to the street, and I saw the tornado coming.”
Unable to find shelter with his neighbors, Ondrick sought cover between a car and a concrete skirting, watching debris flying and a tree being shredded.
“I’m watching, and I’m just screaming because my girlfriend and my dad are inside, and I couldn’t get to them,” Ondrick said. “I just hunkered down, and I held on to the car, and I said to myself, Jesus, please don’t let me die here.”
He expressed gratitude for the community’s support and the sheriff’s efforts during the aftermath.
Public Information Director Erick Gill said emergency crews focused on search and rescue over the weekend.
“The challenge with that is that it’s a community where everybody might have not been there, part-time residents,” Gill said. “Trying to double check and confirm they’re with someone else staying and weren’t here when the tornado happened.”
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