-
Courtesy. A tree at Oaklawn Cemetery was uprooted.
-
Courtesy. There were barricades at intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at Palmer Street Friday, Sept. 2, because of roof damage to a building on the southeast corner of the intersection.
-
Courtesy. A downed tree at Renfro and Warnell streets closed Renfro Sreet from Warnell to Merrin streets at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2.
-
Courtesy. Power poles were blown over on Pinedale Avenue.
-
Courtesy. A fallen tree destroyed a fence in Historic Downtown.
-
Courtesy. A tree in Historic Downtown Plant City snagged a power line.
-
Courtesy. Police are urging parents to keep an eye on curious children, as the drainage canals are full.
-
"Our first tornado experience. Heard the train sound amongst trees snapping and two very scared little girls. Praising God that the trees are just blocking us in and not on top of our house," Deanna Brewer posted on Facebook after a tree fell on Hwy. 92.
-
Courtesy. Casey Barnes' home was already flooding Wednesday, Aug. 31.
-
Courtesy. Casey Barnes' home was already flooding Wednesday, Aug. 31.
-
Courtesy. Sharon Philbin's Walden Lake neighborhood was littered with debris Friday, Sept. 2, after high winds swept through Plant City Thursday, Sept. 1.
-
Courtesy. Trees fell all over Plant City after residents reported a tornado on Thursday, Sept. 1.
-
Courtesy. Trees fell in residents' backyards after high winds hit Plant City on Thursday, Sept. 1. This is on Lisa Ann Court, near the Florida Strawberry Festival grounds.
-
"The power is out, and the fence blew down. This hurricane is no joke. We have never lost power in 16 years we have lived in this town. We are good. But no power stinks," Melanie Bruening Weitz posted on Facebook.
-
Courtesy. A sign at CVS was blown out.
-
Courtesy. Trees were wind blown on Brock Road after a storm Thursday, Sept. 1. "We are keeping everyone around us in our prayers," Brock Road resident Sabrina Haddix said. "Our whole street is a mess."
-
Courtesy. A palm tree was ripped out of the ground near Alexander Street.
-
Courtesy. A fallen tree.
-
Courtesy. Historic Downtown Plant City
-
Courtesy. Three branches fell on the roof of this home.
-
Courtesy. A snapped in the parking lot behind St. Clement Catholic Church.
-
Courtesy. A tree narrowly missed this home on Jerry Smith Road.
-
Courtesy. Julie Hasting's pasture flooded.
-
Courtesy. Traffic lights are out at Baker and Wheeler streets, as of 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2. PCPD said to treat the intersection as four-way stop.
-
Courtesy. Downed power lines snaked across Vermont and Herring streets at 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2. Vermont Street is closed from Herring to Gilchrist streets.
-
Courtesy. Plant City police patrolled intersections with non-working lights Friday, Sept. 2.
-
Plant City's Joy Nails had a wedding party in their shop when, what residents reported as a tornado, hit. "After losing power, employees finished bride Morgan Davis' nails by the light of cell phones," Ashley Galloway said.
-
Courtesy. The building on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at Palmer street had its roof ripped off in the Thursday, Sept. 1, winds.
-
Courtesy. High winds ripped the roof off of a Historic Downtown building Thursday, Sept. 1.
-
Courtesy. Building at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Palmer Street.
-
Courtesy. Damage on Brock Road.
-
Courtesy. At about 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 1, Julie Hasting reported a tornado near her home. "Limbs everywhere, canopy down, barn damaged. Everyone keep your prayers going. This is why you never take these things lightly," she posted on Facebook.
-
A canopy was once over this patio before high winds swept through Plant City Thursday, Sept. 1.
-
Courtesy. A tree was down in the road Thursday, Sept. 1.
Plant City residents woke to downed power lines, fallen trees, intersections with no lights and more after high winds from Hurricane Hermine blew through the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World Thursday, Sept. 1.
Plant City Police Department was cautioning residents of several problem areas at about 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 1. It wrote on its Facebook:
"The City of Plant City did well during the night, our current issues are:
– Traffic lights out at Baker Street at Collins Street (treat as four-way stop)
– Traffic lights out at Baker Street at Wheeler Street. (treat as four-way stop)
– Downed power lines at Vermont and Herring streets. (Vermont Street closed from Herring to Gilchrist streets)
– Barricades at intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at Palmer St. due to roof damage on the southeast corner of intersection.
– Downed tree at Renfro and Warnell streets. (Renfro Street closed from Warnell to Merrin streets)
There are no wide spread power outages and all streets (except minor streets mentioned above) are open.
There is some minor standing water on several street edges, please be careful when driving."
Many residents said their power had been out for hours, some more than 10 hours. According to a map on TECO's website, there were nine areas in Plant City that put 3,044 homes without power around 8:45 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2. In Dover, there were two areas with 769 homes out of power. In TECO's entire coverage area 11, 299 homes were out of power. It rose to over 12,000 and then fell to 10,860 by about 11:20 a.m.
"We are still without power on Pinedale Drive. Going on 12 hours," Rebecca Trinkle Rothman wrote on Facebook.
According to the FDA, food in the fridge or freezer should be good if the power was out for no more than four hours or the food or temperature in the freezer is less than 40 degrees. If food still has ice crystals, it is safe to refreeze or cook.
Hurricane Hermine made landfall at about 1:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 2, near St. Marks, Florida. Winds were 80 mph and gusts put a tornado watch on seven counties in central Florida, including Hillsborough County. It then weakened to a tropical storm.
"The wind last night was wild," Jeff Wallnofer posted on Facebook. "I heard the 'freight train' sound about 8 p.m. Guess how fast that gets you going."
Winds blew the roof off a building in Historic Downtown Plant City building on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard near Palmer Street. Nearby, a bridal party was getting their nails done at Joy Nails.
"Even after losing power, they stayed open late and finished the bride, Morgan Davis', nails by the light of cell phones. Now that is customer service!" Ashley Galloway said.
Strong winds come from a hurricane's feeder bands. These are squally bands of showers characterized by strong gusty winds and heavy rains. These bands become more pronounced as the storm intensifies and are fed by the warm ocean.
Tropical storms become hurricanes once winds reach 75 miles per hour.
