LARGO, Fla. – An EF 1 tornado touched down in Largo nearly a year ago, damaging an estimated 40-50 homes in Ranchero Village, according to Largo Fire Rescue after the storm.
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Tornado recovery efforts
What we know:
Now recovery efforts are ongoing in the neighborhood as crews work to take down damaged homes and repair community buildings.
A lot of the homes are already demolished, and there are still more that will come down in the future.
Pictured: Norman Runkles
Norman Runkles is the HOA president at Ranchero Village.
“I mean I’ve been a first responder all my life, so I’ve seen a lot of things, but the tornado was the worst,” Runkles said.
Surviving a tornado
What they’re saying:
Runkles lived through the tornado and survived to tell the tale.
“The tornado is a lot different than a hurricane because you absolutely have no time to prepare,” Runkles said. “When the tornado is on top of you, there’s nothing you can do except sit there and just wait for the mercy of whatever’s coming.”
His home was not so lucky. It was destroyed, forcing him and his wife to purchase a new home.
“At least we have a place to live,” Runkles said. “You know, none of the cars were damaged, so we’re thankful in a lot of ways.”
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A community recovering
Local perspective:
Runkles said the community management company has worked hard to fix damage to the area.
“A lot of the stuff that needed to be fixed is being fixed,” Runkles said. “You know, we’ve got the lakeside, the corral, that’s all under renovation.”
He said this has forced change in the area.
“We had some people, just because of the age that they were, their family members came in and took them and gave them another place to live,” Runkles said.
But he said it is still great to live there.
“They’re moving along, getting things, trying to get this park back to, where it’s got some stability with the people living here,” Runkles said.
Runkles said he is counting his blessings no matter what.
“Was it an inconvenience? Absolutely, but everybody’s alive,” Runkles said. “No one was hurt, as far as our family goes, so we are lucky.”
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