Sarasota tornado damage estimates at $12 million

SARASOTA -- Sixty homes and businesses were damaged in the tornadoes that ripped through parts of Sarasota early Sunday morning.  

 

Sarasota County officials says damage estimates have climbed to just under $12 million.

 

As homeowners on Siesta Key and near Hollywood Boulevard worked to clean up debris and make home repairs Monday, county officials held a multi-agency resource session for homeowners.

"It certainly can be a complicated process for our homeowners," said Matt Osterhoudt with Sarasota County Government. "They can move from table to table, but they are not being passed from phone to phone or having to go to multiple locations."

 

The center hosted public utilities like Florida Power and Light, the Sarasota Sheriff's Office, county government as well as the Red Cross and Salvation Army.

 

Scott VanNess was one of dozens of homeowners that visited the center Monday to help speed along cleanup.

 

"We had other people’s roofs like thrown into our roof," VanNess said. "And we had some car damage, we had three cars in the driveway.”

 

It could take two weeks for debris left behind from the storms to be cleared from roadsides and properties in Sarasota.

 

Sarasota County is offering any residents assistance in resolving damage or debris related issues, by calling the county Contact Center at (941) 861-5000.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 7:19 AM with the headline "Sarasota tornado damage estimates at $12 million."