CRYSTAL RIVER, Fla. — In Citrus County, residents and business owners are dealing with devastation after an EF-2 tornado tore through the county early Thursday morning. The twister traveled from the southwest corner to the northeast corner of the county.
Ridgeview Apartment Complex saw some of the worst of the damage. Shattered glass surrounded the apartment buildings in the aftermath. Some of the buildings were missing walls, while others had roofs caved in. When the wind would pick up, fiberglass from the insides of walls would blow through in a flurry.
Many residents shared stories of waking up to emergency alerts going off and having just moments to find shelter before the tornado passed over.
Brittany Botocan and her 1-year-old daughter were in their apartment when the tornado approached their complex.
"I heard the tornado, like, it was the most horrific sound you ever heard," Botocan said. "And I literally was dead asleep, I snatched her up from her bed, and I ran into the bathroom. And it was literally like so fast. It happened within seconds. And I only came out when I heard my neighbor screaming and crying outside."
When Botocan came outside, it was to see the severe damage done to her entire complex and her car. The back end of it was damaged, costing what she estimates to be thousands of dollars worth of repairs.
In talking about all the personal belongings damaged and destroyed, Botocan got emotional. Overnight, everything she's worked for was ruined.
"I actually just got this apartment six months ago. I got this car six months ago. I'm actually going through some personal things. And within the last year, I have done a lot for me and my daughter," she said through tears. "And I was so proud of myself and then in one night, it got taken away. And I'm right now I'm just going through my mind, how am I going to feed my daughter?"
Botocan's mother created a GoFundMe to help cover the costs of temporary housing. To read more, click here.
Along US-19, businesses were shredded by the tornado. Ryan DeLarco owns a bicycle shop in Crystal River as well as the building his business and others share.
It was just two weeks ago he reopened after repairs following Hurricane Idalia. After Idalia, nearly three feet of flood waters damaged his building.
"[We] just had to rip out everything and start over fresh," DeLarco said, referencing Idalia. "Just gotta keep my head up and keep trucking."
Now, that repair process starts all over again. The shop, Sparky's Green Rides, is now missing its roof.
"I'm just assessing the damage," DeLarco explained. "I got a bunch of people coming over, local small businesses, roofers and whatnot. There's no roof on the top of this building right now, no roof on anything around us. All the roofs were ripped off so I have people coming over for electric, for the roof, trying to get as many quotes as I can to get the best price to hopefully get this place back open someday soon."
DeLarco's bicycle shop has a second location in Inverness. If you're looking for a way to support his business, he recommends you shop at that location.
Near DeLarco's bike shop is Crystal River Kayak and Dive Shop. The tornado pulverized this area. The store is a total loss. The majority of kayaks and paddleboards are damaged. The company van sits in a canal, upside down after being thrown by the twister. The worst part, the owners finished remodeling just hours before the tornado touched down.
"Wednesday, we finally got everything back in order and all the repairs and remodeling done from Hurricane Idalia," Don Markham, the shop manager said. "And so we finally got everything moved back in on Wednesday and then Wednesday night we get demolished. "
The store had more than 2 feet of flood damage following Hurricane Idalia. Employees spent weeks getting the business back on its feet, with help from the community and volunteers. Now, that process begins again.
"It's been a lot to swallow," Markham said.
Markham estimates the damage done will cost upwards of $500 million. Dive equipment and an entire fleet of kayaks will have to be replaced.
"It's heartbreaking. Everybody's devastated," Markham said. "The kayak manager, she came in this morning, and I thought I was over the tearing up part of it. And as soon as I saw her this morning, we just you know, we hugged and cried it out for a few minutes. But the overwhelming support from the community has been keeping us charged up."
Despite significant damage, only minor injuries were reported to the sheriff's office.
Malique Rankin is a general assignment reporter with 10 Tampa Bay. You can email her story ideas at mrankin@10tampabay.com and follow her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.