Tornado strikes central Florida

(CNN) -- Central Florida residents were shaken but unhurt Friday after a tornado blew roofs off buildings and knocked down power lines overnight.

The tornado, with winds of 105 mph, struck the town of Eustis, said Tim Sedlock, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Melbourne, Florida.

The office issued a tornado warning at 10:33 p.m. ET, and a touchdown was reported in Eustis at 10:59, National Weather Service spokesman Ron Trumbla said.

One person was hurt, but not badly, Lake County Sheriff's Office Sgt. John Herrell told The Associated Press.

Sheriff's deputies went door to door in the damaged area to check on residents.

By midmorning, Lake County Sheriff Gary Borders told CNN, "We feel comfortable that everybody that was home is accounted for."

Twenty houses were uninhabitable and about 30 have damaged roofs and broken windows, some damage caused by falling branches, authorities said.

Eustis is in Lake County, about 30 miles northwest of Orlando. On February 2, tornadoes killed 21 people and destroyed a brick church in Lake County.

CNN affiliate WESH reported a six-block area of Eustis was the hardest hit. Aerial video showed toppled trees, roofless houses and an overturned recreational vehicle.

"We grabbed the dogs, we grabbed the kids, we all huddled in the bathroom," Karen Seidule told WESH. "You heard the freight train, you heard the windows popping, you heard the doors popping, you heard the trees crashing down, and you're just real glad you're alive." Watch a couple describe the roof coming off over them »

Widespread power outages could persist into Saturday, Eustis Police Chief Fred Cobb said.

Tornado watches and warnings expired in northern Florida as the sun rose Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Thunderstorms were forecast for the Panhandle into Alabama, as well as the Florida Keys.

The rough weather was spawned by a storm system in the Gulf of Mexico that forecasters say could become a tropical storm, The Associated Press reported.

In anticipation of the storm system's arrival, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco declared a state of emergency late Thursday and oil companies evacuated workers from oil rigs in the Gulf, according to AP.

Severe weather also struck Minnesota on Thursday. A 13-year-old boy died after being swept away by a rushing stream at a park, AP reported.

Heavy rain, strong wind and large hail led to flash flooding and power outages for 36,000 customers, according to AP. E-mail to a friend

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