There wasn’t anyone on it, but from experience he knew many people were hurt from falling debris as from the winds themselves.
This sentance is really bugging me. It makes sense through debris as is. However "as from the winds themselves" does not seem to be a whole phrase. The idea that "as many people" sets up the comparison. Or you could say "many more people were hurt from falling debris as from the winds themselves", or "many fewer ..." although I don't think that is what you meant. Maybe I am off base but the "as from the winds themselves" part seems to be setting up a comparison, but that is not how the first part is worded. The issue is not how many people Clark can know, but that the "as" compares the first part and the later part.
It would also work with "not just" instead of "as" before "the winds themselves".
