Palmetto residents’ homes damaged after Sunday’s storm

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A Palmetto resident says the severe thunderstorms over the weekend significantly damaged his family’s home.

Manatee County officials on Sunday brought tarps and other aid to the families whose homes were damaged.

“That’s the scary part — how fast this happened. The family told me it was just a matter of seconds from the loud sound of bending metal to it flying off of the house,” William Meade said.

But the only thing the resident cared about was making sure his wife and kids were safe.

“It happened in the blink of an eye,” he said.

Meade recalled Sunday’s storm. It brought heavy winds that tore off the home’s entire carport, with the debris landing in the road.

“It just… it was gone,” he said.

The home in Shadow Brook Mobile Home Park in Palmetto is owned by his parents. It’s where he, his wife and their four kids live.

“My wife was freaking out and said, ‘Oh my God, oh my God.’ She looked out of the window and saw our roof come off. She panicked more than anybody else and grabbed our kids,” he explained.

He says the home made it through last year’s historic hurricane season, but when it came to Sunday’s storm, the carport didn’t stand a chance.

“Like my house was being ripped apart. It was so quick,” he said.

Severe thunderstorms can roll in at any time during the rainy season in Florida, and Meade says he will do what he can to prepare.

“I think maybe we’ll put a tarp over our shed because we’ve got our laundry — our washing machine and dryer — in there. But apart from that, no, I think we should be OK,” he said.

Now the family is considering moving because they worry the house isn’t structurally safe going forward.