FORT WALTON BEACH -- In Okaloosa County overnight, at least seven homes were severely damaged or destroyed, along with a handful of businesses. Much of the major damage came in the inland town of Crestview, near Interstate 10, where officials suspect tornadoes might have touched down.
The phones at the emergency operations center rang through the night with frantic voices on the line reporting flooding, roofs torn away and even people trapped inside ever-shakier structures.
"The calls were coming so rapidly," said county spokeswoman Kathleen Mignacca.
By daybreak, more than 80,000 Gulf Power Co. customers were left without power. Fallen trees and power lines closed dozens of roads in the county. Numbers at local shelters continued to climb through the night, to more than 1,200 people.
Okaloosa Island was completely under water, and officials feared that stretches of road between Destin and Fort Walton Beach might be washed out. Parts of downtown Fort Walton also were flooded, with nearly three feet of water covering the road near city hall.
The toilets had failed at one county shelter in Fort Walton, and the lack of power meant workers were having a tough time cooking food for shelter residents. The county also extended its overnight curfew until further notice.
"From what I understand, it's a big mess," Mignacca said. Still, she said, no serious injuries had been reported, and the county's three hospitals remained open and functional.
