Storms, tornado kill 14 in central Florida

ORLANDO, Fla, Feb 2 (Reuters) Severe thunderstorms and at least one tornado killed 14 people today when they ripped through Florida in the dead of night, tearing homes to shreds, toppling heavy trucks and leaving a trail of rubble.

Up to 500 homes, buildings and churches were damaged or destroyed across a wide area of central Florida north of Florida's key tourism region around Orlando, but Walt Disney Co.'s Disney World resort was not affected.

Rescue teams fanned out in the morning to search for survivors and victims who might still be trapped under flattened homes.

The storm hit at 1345 hrs and a spokesman for the Lake County sheriff's office said at least one and perhaps two tornadoes touched down in a state that ranks only behind the infamous ''Tornado Alley'' in the Midwest for the number of tornado strikes. Most, such as a twister on Christmas Day last year, cause no fatalities.

Christopher Patton, spokesman for the Lake County emergency operations center, told Reuters 14 people were killed according to confirmed fatalities from the county medical examiner's office.

Patton said three people died in Lady Lake, about 64 km northwest of Orlando, and 11 were killed in nearby Paisley, on the edge of the Ocala National Forest.

''We have complete devastation of homes, of businesses, religious institutions,'' Patton said on CNN. ''It was unlike even perhaps the hurricanes of 2004 when we had minor roof damage, screen damage, pool damage. This is way far more devastating.'' About 1,000 tornadoes hit the United States annually, killing on average 80 people a year, and winter tornadoes appear to be more prevalent during El Nino years, when the waters of the eastern Pacific become unusually warm.

''This is something that we've seen here in the past in our state when we've had El Nino conditions in place,'' said state meteorologist Ben Nelson.

In late February 1998, a swarm of tornadoes killed more than 40 people in central Florida and injured scores more.

Those storms also struck in the Orlando area. One tornado ripped through a 14-km stretch and narrowly missed the crowded tourist area that includes Disney World, Universal Studios Florida and Sea World.

Television images showed that today's Florida storms had torn through several neighborhoods, leaving little but piles of debris scattered over concrete foundations.

Florida Highway Patrol spokeswoman Kim Miller said the tornado blew over five tractor-trailer rigs on the interstate highway in Volusia County at about 3:45 a.m.

''We saw tractor-trailers littered all over the interstate,'' she told CNN. ''We had a few cars mixed into that.'' Nearly 30,000 utility customers lost power but about half had been brought back on line, an official with the local utility, Progress Energy, said.

''We are down to about 15,000 without power,'' said spokeswoman Cherie Jacobs.

Most of those without power were in two areas, around Ocala, and the Deland area. ''Those two areas that were very hard hit, they are still assessing the damage,'' she said.

Florida Gov Charlie Crist postponed the scheduled presentation of his first budget and declared a state of emergency in four affected counties, allowing emergency funds to be distributed as needed. The Red Cross opened shelters for people left homeless.

REUTERS PDM KP2300