WELLINGTON, Fla. — It's hard to forget the sight of the EF3 tornado that raced across part of Southern Boulevard in Palm Beach County six months ago. Wellington was one of several areas left with damage from the deadly tornado outbreak that accompanied Hurricane Milton.
Even now, storm victims like Matthew Downing and his family are still haunted after the tornado swept through their block on Oct. 9, 2024. Downing remembers the day starting like any other.
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"Essentially, it was like a normal day like this. It was barely raining. Our kids were home," Downing said.
But by late afternoon, everything changed. Downing says it sounded like a freight train smacked into his home.
"It just seems like you're in a can that's crushing you," Downing said. "Your ears are popping because of the pressure, and then within 60 seconds, everything is gone."
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The windows were blown out of Downing's home in Wellington. The shingles on his roof crumbled. The twister damaged his fence and tossed his truck to the other side of his driveway. Directly across the street, the damage is even worse. One set of neighbors still hasn't returned. Their home was ripped from the foundation.
But Downing said one of the worst parts of the storm wasn't the physical part, but the financial fallout. He's still fighting his insurance company to pay the other half of the estimated $175,000 in property damage, calculated by a public adjuster.
"This tornado has been on my mind since it happened," Downing said.
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The father of two said the aftermath has interfered with his ability to do his job because he's constantly stressed. And now, with another hurricane season looming, he worries about the scars his children are left with.
"My daughter, who is only in second grade, every day she sees a cloud and she's like 'Daddy is that a tornado?'" Downing said.
Wellington Village Manager Jim Barnes says 229 units saw damage from the October 2024 tornado. Twenty homes sustained major damage. During the Village's last check-in, this past April, officials say at least 26 individuals or families are still misplaced because they're waiting on payouts from insurance companies so they can obtain permits to begin repairs.
