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Suspected tornadoes kill at least 14 in Florida
LADY LAKE, Florida (CNN) -- Suspected tornadoes killed at least 14 people early Friday in central Florida, leaving catastrophic destruction in their wake, a Lake County official said.
"We have complete devastation of homes, businesses, religious institutions," said Christopher Patton of the Lake County Emergency Operations Center. "It was unlike perhaps even the hurricanes of 2004."
Awaking residents hours before dawn, the storms also walloped Volusia and Sumter counties, toppling trees and power lines and sending tractor-trailers careering off Interstate 4.
The disaster prompted Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to declare a state of emergency in those counties and Lake and Seminole counties. (Watch aerial views of huge swath of destruction, including smashed homes and downed trees )
"Our priority today is search and rescue," Crist said at a news conference. "We want to make sure that anybody who's in the affected area, that we make sure we get them out, we get them out safely." (Watch governor warn about trying to check on loved ones )
Neighborhoods in the storm's path look like war zones, with debris -- some resembling a huge game of pickup sticks -- stretching for miles. Wood, roofing, furniture and other rubble are piled everywhere.
"The destruction we see here is just beyond words. Homes completely destroyed, moved off their foundation. You can't even tell there were some homes in this area," said Dan McCarthy, a reporter from WESH-TV, as he viewed the area from a helicopter.
 i live in florida
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