Resident describes garbage containers ending up on his roof

PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – In our observation area, we saw so many lives changed in a matter of seconds during Wednesday’s tornado outbreak.

One of those tornadoes was so powerful that it tossed a giant dumpster — which typically weighs a few tons — onto the roof of a home in the Avenir community of Palm Beach Gardens.

The home’s owner, John Ventrella, said the dumpster was three doors down, but the storm’s fierce winds picked it up, tossed it through the air like a Frisbee and deposited it on his roof.

WPTV

At the time of the storm, Ventrella and his wife Bonnie were trying to move into their new home. They were painting and decorating walls when Ventrella said he heard a loud noise.

“When we saw it, it was breathtaking,” Ventrella said. “When we saw (the tornado) come through our back door, it was just mesmerizing. Just the sight of that funnel (cloud) made you freeze for a second.”

After the storm, he was shocked at the damage.

SEE BELOW: Video of destruction in Avenir community

Tornado leaves a trail of destruction in the Avenir community of Palm Beach Gardens

“We looked up and the dumpster was sticking out into the room,” Ventrella said. “It’s crazy. We couldn’t believe what we were seeing.”

The emergency services managed to get the garbage container off its roof.

Ventrella said he faces a $24,000 hurricane deductible, but he and his wife are just happy to be alive.

Before the dumpster landed on Ventrella’s roof, it spun around and also crashed into a neighbor’s house, destroying a corner of that house.

WPTV

Several homes in the recently developed Avenir community were damaged by the EF3 tornado, which the National Weather Service estimated had winds of 140 miles per hour.

The storm left broken windows and debris scattered across the neighborhood.

Many area residents told WPTV they moved in within the last two weeks.

Despite the destruction, no one in this community was killed by the tornado.