Many Central Florida residents were awakened by a devastating series of storms that spawned tornadoes during the pre-dawn hours of Groundhog Day, 2007. By the late afternoon of February 2nd,the death toll rose to 19 as more bodies were found in Lake County in the wake of the storm's destruction.

. State officials said it might still take several days to determine exactly how many people were killed in the violent storms. The priority remains on search and rescue as workers carefully sift through the rubble.

In their role as a first response, disaster relief agency ACTS is currently mobilizing teams of volunteers and deploying truckloads of donated supplies to assist workers and aid residents of Lake, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties who have suffered as a result of the tornadoes.

Although the path of destruction was not as widespread as seen during the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005, it still has caused tremendous loss throughout many communities who will need to find hope and healing that can only come when people unite to provide help in times such as these.