WEST PALM BEACH — Beleaguered homeowners around Palm Beach Gardens are coping with some massive damage from a tornado that touched down on Wednesday. The National Weather Service said it was an EF-3 tornado with wind speeds of up to 140 miles per hour.

Hurricane Milton carved a path of destruction across Florida, spawning tornadoes that killed five people in Fort Pierce, destroyed homes in Wellington and wrecked a new Publix in the Palm Beach Gardens community of Avenir.

For Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast, the worst of Hurricane Milton came before the high winds even arrived. Deadly tornadoes spun off by the approaching storm rampaged through neighborhoods in Wellington, The Acreage, Palm Beach Gardens and Fort Pierce, overturning cars, ripping up houses and killing at least five people.