Daughter confirms mother died in St. Lucie Co. tornado

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (CBS12) — As many parts of South Florida continue to recover from Wednesday’s tornadoes, one woman identified her mother as one of the many people killed in the storms.

Deborah Kennedy moved to St. Lucie County earlier this year and found her home in Spanish Lakes Country Club Village, CNN reported. On Wednesday, her community was torn apart as tornadoes ripped through the region.

Kennedy’s daughter Brandi Smith said the loss of her 66-year-old mother will leave a deep hole in the hearts of her children and grandchildren.

Smith added that the family plans to return Kennedy’s body to New York, where she will be buried with her husband.

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Spanish Lakes Country Club Village was one of several communities in Fort Pierce and surrounding unincorporated areas that were damaged when at least two tornadoes touched down in St. Lucie County.

St. Lucie County Emergency Management officials are asking the public to stay off the roads until it is deemed safe to do so. Officials said vagrants could hamper critical response and recovery operations

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