South Florida Sun Sentinel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Page 16

SUN-SENTINEL, Friday, March 18, 1983 16A Come the winds: Gusts alarm, ruin, terrify of ceiling material dangled under the weight of the water. Assistant manager George Papas, who recently moved to the area from Boston, said he was mystified by the might of the storm. "We never had anything like this in Boston," he said. One of six employees stocking shelves before opening for the day said the "whole building started shaking." "The storm came right across the building," he said; "It just lasted for a minute-and-a-half. I didn't have a chance to get scared." in the bathroom.

We damn near got killed." Inside, employees moved racks of dry cleaning, undamaged despite the fury of the storm, through the rubble. A small clock torn from the wall marked the time the storm hit 8:30 a.m. She said the shop would remain open despite the damage. Zayre's, 3772 N. Federal Highway, was not so lucky.

The raging winds ripped 13-foot signs from the front of the department store and tossed them onto the roof. Water poured through holes in the roof, soaking merchandise in the store's hardware department. Chunks blown away if I got out. Scared is not the word. "I had two more stops to go.

I guess I didn't quite make it," he said as wreckers attempted to right the truck In the same block, the morning storm translated into a terrifying few minutes for Ruby Maxson, manager of the Betty Brite Cleaners, 2041 NE 36th St. She was waiting on a customer when the tornado hit. "It started to blow a little bit and I saw hail for the first time," she said, standing among hunks of jagged glass strewn through the small shop. "I was laughing. Just then the window blew.

We ran and hid ourselves By Fred Schulte Staff Writer I LIGHTHOUSE POINT Publix truck driver Gilbert Milian had finished his fourth delivery of the day when the winds came up out of nowhere. 48-foot tractor-trailer carrying frozen food overturned seconds after he wheeled it onto Sample Road Thursday. "When the wind hit me I tried to straighten out, but I just flipped over," said Milian, of Miami. "I just hung onto the steering wheel. I was afraid I'd get WHFS RD 3000 NE 46th ST.

Ir1 1 -3000 NE 46th ST. 4100 23rd TERR. I SAMPLE RD.4 fJ rj FEDERAL HWY. I pompanu 7 )f i 1 I I CQPANff no tij I 6 DmE HWY. -W Jff 117 COPANS RD.

901 NW 31st AVE I MARGATE 610 SW 51st AVE. 115th AVE. NW 31st PL. 3500 NW 95th TERR. 7 SUNRISE jl TURNPIKE 1 I SERVICE PLAZA "II PARK BlVD I I'i.

fl fort I I LAUDERDALE I SUNRISt I I BIVO I rl' I I I ftlj '-rCJ fJ. Wf' -J. I Suff map by LARRY GEYMAN The crosses show sites of major damage from Thursday's storm. "--r 1 i v': The storm knocked down this Zayre sign at the Venetian Shopping Center at Sample Road, and Federal Highway in Lighthouse Point. Storm -a Continued from page 1A Swearingen as the storm awakened him.

The pair punched out a window and crawled through. Neither was injured. "When it tipped over we landed on the wall," Marsh said. Neighbors stood around in shock after the twister passed. One woman barely held back tears.

Another stood by, clutching her children's hands. "I saw debris flying and heard a whistling sound," explained Bertie CLopez of 2400 NE Second Terrace. "The windows were 'breaking 'and shattering. It was the sound of "buckshot," she said of pebbles striking the glass. In her backyard, trees "splin-Itered like toothpicks" Mrs.

Lopez said. A laborer riding a tractor struggled to remove a large tree from "the top of Virginia and Ralph mobile home. Mrs. Cassidy said county health 'officials condemned it as beyond repair. don't know what we're going to she said.

"We were supposed to get a house last weekend, but vthe people haven't moved out yet." Gusting winds also ripped a "brand new $3,800 roof from Ellen CHoughten's mobile home. "It sounded like a train went right through the house," she said. Not much rain fell. In Fort Lauderdale, .85 of an inch was recorded at the Dixie Water Plant in the 24-hour-period ending at 7 p.m. Thursday and .77 of an inch at Bahia Mar by the beach.

In Hollywood, 1.1 inches of rain were recorded. As the storm cleared, insurance salesmen, roofers, tree cutters and amateur photographers all traveled the tornando's path. John Murray, president of Advanced Mobile Home Service, a roofing company, said his business is near the Golf View Mobile Home Park. On Thursday afternoon, Murray and about seven workers drove through the park to see if they could fix any roofs. Several had been blown off when high winds struck in the morning.

"We heard there was a tornado so we came by," Murray said. "If anybody has any problems we are trying to take care of (them) before it rains again. We're busy." Murray's men were replacing the roof on Dorothy Rogers' mobile home. Roof fragments from her home were tossed near neighbors' homes. A large piece of metal landed on Mildred Palma's roof, leaving a and many signs blew away.

"Everything that wasn't really nailed down is up the road. Everything was moving," said Good, who estimated the path of the tornado as one-quarter to one-half mile wide. "It's the worst I've seen, and I've been through a lot of hurricanes," Good said, noting the high winds persisted-for about two minutes. FPL District General Manager Mike Fraga said the tornadoes caused at least nine wires to be torn down, primarily in the Pompano Beach area, but also in Lighthouse Point and Oakland Park. "All our people have been out all day working on it," said FPL spokesman John Powers, who reported that six wires remained down late Thursday night.

"It's been a bad day." Sunrise Mayor John Lomelo declared a state of emergency Thursday morning when he learned of damage around the city and at City Hall, where doors were ripped open and leaves swept through. Three funnel clouds were sighted in Sunrise and one touched down, city officials said. The twister reportedly traveled down 115th Terrace, from Oakland, Park Boulevard south, knocking down everything in its path tele- hole where the rain came in, spoiling her carpet. "I'll take a winter blizzard to what I experienced this morning," Mrs. Palma said.

The Zayre's Department Store at 3772 N. Federal Highway, Lighthouse Point, was forced to close Thursday after the storm damaged the roof and knocked over the store's sign. Debris from the roof also damaged some nearby apartments, police said. In North Lauderdale, some 30 to 40 homes in a four-block area were damaged by airborne awnings and uprooted trees, police said. They estimate that from $5,000 to $10,000 damage was caused when the storm hit about 8:25 a.m.

No injuries were reported by homeowners in the damaged area, which included Southwest 62nd and 63rd Avenues, Eighth Street and Ninth Place. A tornado also overturned an 18-wheel tractor-trailer, which had been parked at the Pompano Beach service plaza along Florida's Turnpike. "The driver was in our shower room taking a shower (when the tornado struck)," said Bob Good, manager of the plaza's Union 76 Gas Station. Numerous trees were uprooted Staff photos by ARNOLD ERNEST This traffic signal was knocked down on Northeast 21st Avenue. 1 phone poles, wires, pool screen enclosures, trees and mailboxes.

Damage extended from Northwest 120th Street to 98th Avenue and from Oakland Park Boulevard to 29th Manor. In Margate, the roof of one home was torn off and that of a second house damaged when the early morning twister struck. It cut a path through the 600 and 700 blocks of Southwest 51st Avenue. "All of a sudden I hear a whoosh! My roof was torn off what a mess," said Dorothy Elsenwasser of 610 SW 51st Ave. A large section of the roof was peeled off and a huge Norfolk Pine cut in half.

Staff Writers Ana Frank, Theresa Defino, Neal Santaniello, Stephen d'OIiveira also contributed to this report. Since 1962 Where A Bargain Is A Genuine Bargain With 3 Locations To Accommodate You OUR 21st ANNIVERSARY SALE TIB 0 OFF LIST ADDITIONAL 3 DISCOUNT WITH CASH LtD OM? gqos im MMis El ALL M0N0COTTURAS El ALL SETTING MATERIALS El COMMERCIAL TILES 0 ALL TILES El ALL TILES El ALL TILES El ALL QUARRY TILE PROVENZALE HEXAGON, ITALIAN SPANISH ALL PATIO TILES El MARBLE That's right! Take your old suits, sportcoats and slacks out of the don't care how old they are or what they look just dry clean them and bring them to Lansona Each suit is worth $50 trade-in on a brand new suit. Each sportcoat is worth $25 trade-in on a brand new sportcoat. Each pair of slacks Is worth $5 trade-in on a Items on sale while quantities last. All Remnants Priced as new pair of slacks.

Bring in as many garments as you well trade them in on a one-to-one Thru Mar. 31, 1S33 and you can select your new suits, sportcoats and slacks from our entire collection of handsome clothing And alterations arafree. We want to make yon a star Broward Mall Town Center (Boca Raton) Hollywood Fashion Center Omni International is. Don't miss out on this sale. NO rain checks during this special offer ALL SALES FINAL CASH CHECKS MASTERCARD VISA AMERICAN EXPRESS EXPERT ADVICE INSTALLATION HINT8 AND PROFESSIONAL HELP AVAILABLE BROWARD SHOWROOM 6299 W.

SUNRISE BLVD. Two MinutM WMt of Tumpikt sunrise 503-8453, SAT. 10 to 4 TRADE-m fr TRASS UP AT LANS0SS! IX X. 639 Lincoln Road Mall Cutler Ridge Mall Dadeland Mall Westland Mall Miami International Mall Mall at 163rd Street Offer expires Saturday, April 1983. Offer valid only on regular priced merchandise ui all Lansona stores.

Major credit oards weloomed. mm.