Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency on Saturday morning after severe weather left several southern states greatly affected.
The city of Ocala was among the places hit the hardest as strong winds and tornadoes ravaged states in the southeastern United States, ranging from North Carolina to Florida, according to the New York Post.
The executive order passed by DeSantis acknowledged that a “state of emergency exists in Clay, Highlands, Marion, and Putnam Counties,” a press release from DeSantis said.
KENTUCKY GOVERNOR DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY AMID SEVERE WEATHER
Meteorologist Brian Shields with WFTV said in a post on Twitter that the Ocala Police Department had confirmed that “multiple buildings and vehicles near the 3900 block of SR 200” had been left damaged after a tornado had gone through the area.
The OPD confirmed in a Facebook post that there had been “no injuries reported” at the time, adding that there was “still a tornado watch in effect for NE Florida until 11 a.m.” on Sunday.
OCALA, FLORIDA DAMGE: Possible Tornado…
From the Ocala PD:
Multiple buildings and vehicles near the 3900 block of SR 200 are damaged due to a tornado. No injuries reported at this time. All lanes on SR 200 from SW 38 Ct. and SW 43 St. Rd. Are blocked. Please avoid the area. pic.twitter.com/CgEDMQo7Qz— Brian Shields, WFTV (@BrianWFTV) March 12, 2022
After investigating the damage left behind from the tornado, the Jacksonville National Weather Service labeled the storm an EF-1 tornado, with winds traveling 110 mph, according to Spectrum News 13.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
As the severe weather hit the state, roughly 50,000 people were left without power as of Saturday morning, according to the New York Post. As of Sunday morning, roughly 1,560 customers throughout the state were without power, according to Poweroutage.us.
?There is a Freeze Warning tonight for our area.
Remember to cover plants ? & bring pets ?? indoors tonight as temps fall into the mid 20s and lower 30s with wind chills in the low to mid 20s.
Tomorrow temps will rise to the mid to upper 50s. #flwx #gawx #JAXwx pic.twitter.com/XeYkCYICbu
— NWS Jacksonville (@NWSJacksonville) March 12, 2022
The Jacksonville NWS issued a freeze warning for the area on Sunday afternoon, adding that temperatures would fall between the “mid 20s and lower 30s with wind chills in the low to mid 20s.” The weather service added that Sunday would see temperatures in the “mid to upper 50s.”
