ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office continues its investigation into the deaths of six people in the Spanish Lakes subdivision of St. Lucie County where a tornado touched down Wednesday.

Sheriff Keith Pearson said deputies continue to construct buildings, several of which were toppled by the high winds.

The sheriff says his team removed 25 people from the neighborhood of largely older manufactured homes.

WPTV reporter Dave Bohman was at the news conference and asked the sheriff if crews were still searching for survivors.

“Wednesday evening, and even Thursday, there was a search and rescue mission. Is it fair to call it search and recovery? » asked Bohman.

“I’m going to remain optimistic until the end, but we know that the reality is that many older people have health problems,” Sheriff Pearson responded. “We go well beyond 48 hours. That means 48 hours without medication, 48 hours without food.

Sheriff Pearson said one of the challenges of the operation in Spanish Lakes is that his teams cannot get an accurate list of people who may go missing.

The sheriff says many of the park’s residents are snowbirds and others could be renters, according to the sheriff, and his crews can’t say if the seasonal residents are in that area or still up north.