St. Lucie County Sheriff Keith Pearson on Monday released the names of the six people who died in a tornado during Hurricane Milton.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you of the tragic passing of the following St. Lucie County residents who lost their lives as a direct result of the tornado that touched down in Spanish Lakes,” Pearson said in a statement.
Those who died were identified as:
- William Cutlip, 82
- Mary Vilamantez, 70
- Alejandro Alonso, 66
- Roger Ammon, 85
- Sandra Macdonald, 84
- Deborah Kennedy, 66
“I, along with the men and women of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, express our heartfelt condolences to their family and friends during this extremely difficult time,” Pearson said.
Max Defender 8 Chief Meteorologist Jeff Berardelli said Hurricane Milton produced stronger tornadoes than a hurricane normally would due to the storm’s interaction with the jet stream.
“It has the added spin and added energy of the jet stream, which is causing these thunderstorms to spin more, which is causing these tornadoes to be stronger,” he said.
Milton made landfall Wednesday night near Siesta Key as a major Category 3 storm.
