LONGWOOD, Fla. \u2013 March 10 marks one year since an EF-2 tornado ripped through the Whispering Winds neighborhood in the Longwood area. <\/p>\n
Neighbors say it came without much warning, and within minutes left a trail of destruction behind. Simone Behar remembers pulling into her driveway and being caught in the storm. One of her home security cameras captured the tornado as it came through. <\/p>\n
\u201cI was basically trapped in the garage with the tornado, trying to get inside to my safe room,\u201d Behar recalled. \u201cI ran inside, protected my dogs, put my head down, and it just blew through.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Monday, our News 6 crew revisited Whispering Winds to hear Behar\u2019s story and see how what a difference a year has made. <\/p>\n
In the immediate aftermath, downed trees, damaged fences, and pool screens were scattered around the neighborhood. Crews in Seminole County hauled enough debris to fill 488 trucks. The county\u2019s public works, roads, and stormwater staff logged 2,253 hours in over nine days cleaning up and clearing a path through the neighborhood. <\/p>\n
[BELOW: Surveillance footage shows tornado in Longwood community]<\/p>\n
The county said the tornado damaged more than 50 homes and destroyed one home on Blue Iris Place \u2014 it collapsed while a couple inside took cover. Thankfully, no one was injured. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou find their personal belongings from their home scattered everywhere,\u201d said Emily Sless, who first showed our News 6 crew the damage in her neighborhood in 2025. <\/p>\n
Behar said she never found parts of her property that blew away. Today, parts of her roof and chimney are still in need of repair. <\/p>\n
\u201cFor the most part, our neighbors and everybody, they\u2019ve done a phenomenal job of getting back to normalcy. You can see the pool cages are back up,\u201d said Behar as she showed our team her backyard. \u201cOur neighbor over here still doesn\u2019t have his pool cage, but he just completed his roof last week.\u201d<\/p>\n
[BELOW: Security camera catches tornado storming through Longwood]<\/p>\n
Behar\u2019s fence is gone, along with so many trees that used to line her yard. What\u2019s left behind in Whispering Winds is more open space and the lessons this small Longwood neighborhood has learned. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still very surreal,\u201d said Behar. \u201cI still look back, and any time it\u2019s really windy, I start to get a little bit of heart palpitations.\u201d<\/p>\n
One year later, and Behar\u2019s community is unrecognizable from March 10, 2025. Behar says what happened is still unbelievable. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very jarring to think about the fact that we were in a tornado, especially an EF-2,\u201d said Behar. \u201cI think it really helped me have a different perspective on life and how short it can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
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