Tornado Touches Down in Myakka; Residents Told: Stay Indoors!

A tornado touched down in Myakka near Singletary Road at about 3 a.m. Thursday and traveled north to Sun City overnight.

This Twitter news photo shows a woodworker in Myakka checking on his statues. You can see pieces of the roof missing on his barn.

National Weather Service crews are assessing ground damage today.

Some pool cages, building debris and power lines were damaged in Myakka and East Manatee. No power outages are reported.

Manatee Emergency Management Chief Don Hermey said gusts of up to 50 m.p.h. could blow through the area throughout the day.

Manatee is under tropical storm warning, a flood watch and a tornado watch.

“If there’s travel you can postpone or that’s unnecessary today while storm is upon us, please stay indoors, stay safe,” Hermey said. “This is a rain and wind event, so there will be some periods of heavy downpours. Bottom line is, stay in and stay off the roads if you’re able.”

Manatee’s Emergency Operations Center remains at a Level 2 (partial activation) as of 8 a.m. Thursday, June 6. Reports from the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service are calling for between 3-to-6 inches of rain throughout the day.  

In addition Manatee officials recommend Manatee residents stay out of and avoid driving through standing water and stay tuned to local weather stations for the latest updates on T.S. Andrea. A county information line, (941) 749-3590, will be updated as the situation or EOC status changes.

Lake Manatee dam is functioning normally and is slowly discharging water to maintain safe levels in the lake which now sits at about 38 feet.

For more information on Manatee County Government, visit online at www.mymanatee.org or call (941) 748-4501. You can also follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/manatee.county.fl and on Twitter, @ManateeGov.

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