Sunday morning storms cause damage throughout Tampa Bay

People are cleaning up after strong storms Sunday morning caused damage throughout Tampa Bay. In some areas, strong winds tore off roofs and knocked down trees and powerlines.

The damage stretches from Bradenton to Palm Harbor to Polk County. Roofs were ripped off at least five homes in Bradenton. In Palm Harbor, a restaurant sustained significant damage. In Polk County, a motel had part of it's roof torn off, damaging several hotel rooms. Hotel guests say they're thankful no one was hurt.

As the storms hit, Sherry Rancourt and her service dog buddy were huddled in their hotel room taking cover. 

"It was horrible. It just like sucked everything up," Rancourt said.

Strong winds tore off a large section of roofing at the Lake Wire Inn on North Florida Avenue in Lakeland. Rancourt was watching out her window in disbelief.

"It just pulled the roof off -- like it grabbed at it. I've been through Andrew, hurricanes. Nothing like this. Never been through this," Rancourt said.

Hotel guests say the storm ripped through around 11:30 Sunday morning, rattling windows and tossing debris across the parking lot. At least three rooms sustained significant water damage. 

"I thank God no one was hurt. I mean I feel bad for the people up in the corner because the roof came down and there were children up there. I thank God I wasn't up there," Rancourt said.

Hotel staff spent the afternoon cleaning up the damage and say as of right now they're still working to determine to total cost.

Just 24 hours earlier, strong winds from Saturday brought down a tree on to a parked car. Rancourt captured the video from her hotel balcony. When Sunday's storms rolled through, she says her service dog kept her alert. 

"He came running in the room and then went back out. He usually sits in the patio, but he wouldn't. He just kept going back and forth," Rancourt said.

When Buddy ran under the bed, that's when she says she took cover. Although the damage may only be somewhat minor she says those few moments of uncertainty were anything but that. 

"It was very intense like I said I've never seen or heard anything like that," Rancourt said.