'We were blessed'

MILTON — A small tornado hit property on Old Stagecoach Road in East Milton in the early hours of Friday morning, according to homeowners Herman and Imogene Dubose.

The couple was in bed around midnight when the twister hit, according to Imogene Dubose. They described the noise as a high-pitched howling.

“It was a noise like I had never heard before,” she said. “I went into the room and ask if Herman heard it, but I didn’t go outside.”

Dubose said the tornado did not last very long and there was no major damage other than a roof twisted off a shed. The roof twisted off and flew 40 feet, Dubose said.

“We had some shingles come off our house and our lawn furniture was tossed around, but that was it,” Dubose said. “It could have been worse.”

The couple said they are grateful the twister didn't hit their home. They used to live just a few feet away in another home on a nearby property that was badly damaged in a hurricane years ago. 

The Duboses said their niece, who lives a few homes away, did not have any tornado damage other than porch furniture falling over.

“We have been truly blessed,” they said. “We hope we never have to go through something like this again.”

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: 'We were blessed'