A series of hurricanes and tornadoes in recent years have former Massachusetts residents wondering just where in the Sunshine State is it safe to plant their roots.

Most recently, tornado-bearing thunderstorms ripped through Central Florida between 2 and 4 a.m. on Friday, February 2nd when most people were asleep. Although the tornado cut a narrow zig-zag swath from Ocala to New Smyrna on the east coast killing 20, we are focusing on one community – The Villages.

The Villages, a rapidly growing town of 65,000 residents, is actually a development of some 40 contiguous villages under one management. It is self-contained, with a hospital, theaters, restaurants, shopping centers, a central post office, 21 golf courses and its own police and fire departments. Spread over parts of three counties, The Villages is still expanding and is expected to have 100,000 residents within the next 8 years.

Currently, 78 of our members live in The Villages, plus hundreds of other former Massachusetts residents. Red Porter, our Florida Vice President and his wife Rejeanne, moved to The Villages, seven years ago, after having previously lived in other parts of the state.

Members, living in The Villages, spoke of awakening to booming thunder claps and drenching rains during the fateful night, but for the most part, many were unaware of the devastation that took place within walking distance of their homes.

All of The Villages are interconnected, each with their own adopted name. The Village of Mallory Square is a new addition, about a year old. Mass. State Police retiree Frank Mahoney and his wife Corrine had lived in The Villages for three years, but had moved to a new house in Mallory Square about a year ago. Unfortunately the tornado decided to touch down in Mallory Square for a visit.

“We experienced one of the worst storms of our life. This was about 18 seconds of fear, doing massive destruction… We heard the freight train in the distance then right in our back yard, sounding like it was throwing huge boulders around, hitting every part of our house,” reported Frank Mahoney. “The angels were with us during those 18 seconds. It’s an experience we will never forget.

“Our home was hit, resulting in about $35,000 damages, but it was still livable. It was hard for us to see our friends just across the street without homes to go to. But people helping people is the name of the game down here. The morning of the tornado, the developer had crews, about 500 men, picking up all of the debris and covering houses still standing with tarps. If you had to live through a tornado, The Villages is the place to be living.”

Mahoney went on to say that the insurance company was cooperative, the developers made sure there were plenty of licensed contractors available and he had no trouble getting a roofer to do the entire roof. “The Red Cross was here for several weeks, giving out meals three times a day to the people whose facilities had been destroyed or disrupted. They have been wonderful,” said Mahoney.

“Our prayers go out to all our neighbors, and also to the ones in Lady Lake who lost their lives. We in The Villages did not have any loss of life.”

Four people were killed in Lady Lake, a community that abuts The Villages. The tornado next touched down in the small town of Paisley where eleven people, most living in mobile homes, were killed. Eventually the twister ended its journey on the Atlantic coast, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.