Powerful winds damaged a number of homes in East Bradenton and Palmetto early Monday morning, leaving homeowners cleaning debris for much of the day once weather conditions calmed.

  • Rooftops, carports blown off
  • Tree damage impacted homes as well
  • Damage caused by straight-line winds

Storm damage was, in fact, widespread across Manatee County Monday following the early morning storms. Homes in the Coach House Mobile Home Park in Palmetto had their roofs and carports blown away, spreading metal and insulation all over the neighborhood.

"Going around the neighborhood and saw this disaster, and we're just so heartbroken because so many people have lost so much," said resident Mary Jeffers.

The National Weather Service reported it was straight line winds that damaged these homes early Monday. Those winds took the roof right off of resident Michael Connors' home.

"Just the edge was lifting up," Connors said. "Then we get the wrong gust at the wrong time, and there she went."

Meanwhile, in East Bradenton, resident Eddie Neal spent a good part of his day cleaning up debris in his neighborhood.

"We had quite a bit of damage here," Neal said. "We had a couple of big limbs come off, nothing really hit the house but we had a lot in the yard."

No estimates have yet been reported on the amount of damage done by this morning's stormy conditions in these communities.