MARTIN COUNTY − Streets layered with tree branches and downed powerlines didn't pose a problem for Martin County deputies after suspected tornadoes in advance of Hurricane Milton jumped through the area Wednesday evening.
Sheriff William Snyder said many deputies, himself included, were on-call throughout the night while they were clearing roadways and neighborhoods so people could go out in the morning and Fire Rescue could get in to handle emergency calls.
"We did that all over the county, surface roads, surface streets with trees down, and we had a couple deputies had to go to the hospital," Snyder said. "One got his foot broken because they were cutting a tree and the trunk fell on his foot."
Snyder said the Sheriffs Office was prepared for tropical force winds, trees down, power outages, and flooding, but they were not prepared for hundreds of homes damaged by high winds from suspected tornadoes.
"At one point we had over 500 storm-related calls for service. We were backed up, holding calls throughout the night, trying to get to everybody," Snyder said. "We had people saying they were trapped. We had one woman who was picked up by the winds inside her house and thrown out into the lawn where her leg was broken. It was an apocalyptic feel to the night's activities."
Snyder said he was proud of the hard work put in by his team Wednesday evening and throughout the night. He said they did not want to stop until everyone's power is restored, the streets are cleared, and every house has been checked.
"I was out with my people all through the night, and there was a collective sense of purpose and mission and true satisfaction in helping people in the dark, in the night, the wind and the rain, for them to go door-to-door with debris down, live wires down. They put their own safety second, and made sure people were safe. And I was just very impressed with their work," Snyder said.
One of the residents visited by deputies was Dara Hatten, of Stuart. Her Woodmill Pond neighborhood was one of the neighborhoods hit by the suspected tornado Wednesday evening around 5:40 p.m.
She said even the community's landscaping company arrived to help clean up all of the tree branches.
"Emergency services was in here making sure everything was OK. Deputies came, we've had a whole array of people checking on us," Hatten said. "The company that takes care of our landscaping normally, I don't know who called them, don't care, I'm glad they're here."
Hatten said none of the townhomes took significant damage except for some blown out windows and roof damage that caused leaking into the attic. She said her car was totaled and the community's pool took most of the damage.
"We don't have power, power lines are down across the street so we're right off of that. But, you know, there's a power line in the pool," Hatten said.
Hatten said she was home when the suspected tornado came through the neighborhood and her first instinct was to get in her bathtub for safety.
"We heard it coming from the backyard woods, and you knew something was coming. It sounded like something was shoveling through the woods," Hatten said. "The hurricane was nothing compared to that tornado."
Hatten said she and her husband are from Florida originally and moved to Alabama for eight years where they saw a lot of tornado aftermath, but they had never experienced one before.
"We saw the aftermath, but never been sitting right here when one came," Hatten said.
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Olivia Franklin is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Olivia on X @Livvvvv_5 or reach her by phone at 317-627-8048. E-mail her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 'An apocalyptic feel': Martin County deputies help in recovery from storm damage
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