CLEWISTON, Fla. — As we head into another hurricane season this Sunday, people who live in Clewiston tell us they will never forget the tornadoes that ripped through this part of Southwest Florida during Hurricane Milton last year.
See what destruction Cross Training Ministries faced:
Some residents are still cleaning up after the devastating storms, including Cross Training Ministries, a drug rehabilitation program that saw several trailers destroyed by a tornado.
"The guys had about 15 minutes before the tornado hit, they saw a black cloud coming," said Michael Pittman, founder of Cross Training Ministries.
Pittman said the residents went next door to the sheriff's office training facility to take shelter as the tornado approached.
"It lifted this trailer up and then destroyed the trailer that their men were living in," he said.
The tornado scattered their belongings across the area.
"One of our mattresses was found a mile away, on the other side of State Road 80," Pittman said.
Despite the path of destruction left behind, Pittman says no one was hurt in the incident.
"I wasn't upset. I was glad the men were safe, and that was really my only concern, because I knew God's gonna take care of us, and he has," he said.
The community has rallied around the ministry to help them recover.
Rather than simply rebuilding what was lost, Pittman says they are expanding their program and constructing a house that will accommodate 20 men.
"They say it takes a village. Well, we have a great village around us at Cross Training," Pittman said.
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