Raging Florida tornado damages dozens of homes
Pastor Dale Morgan
Raging Florida tornado damages dozens of homes*
A powerful tornado tossed cars in the Belvedere Condominiums parking lot
in Cape Coral, Fla., on Sunday evening.
CAPE CORAL, Fla. (AP) — As many as 150 homes were damaged by a powerful
tornado that swept off the Gulf of Mexico and plowed into this southwest
Florida city, officials said Monday. One person suffered minor injuries
from flying debris.
Thunderstorms that spawned the tornado hit Cape Coral around 6:30 p.m.
Sunday.
"Water was pouring in through the windows, it soaked everything," said
Jessica Gibson, whose apartment building roof was partly torn off.
Daniel Noah at the National Weather Service said the tornado started as
a waterspout over Fort Myers Beach and moved north into Cape Coral. He
estimated the winds speeds were between 90 and 110 mph.
One minor injury from flying debris was reported after the tornado,
which damaged dozens of houses, apartments and other buildings, city
spokeswoman Connie Barron said. Cape Coral's chief inspector, Bill
Selvia, told the News-Press of Fort Myers on Monday that the final
damage estimate could be in the millions of dollars.
At the Silver Sands Resort, the tornado toppled a tiki bar and tore the
roof off two units, owner Tom Groves said.
"It threw all the chairs into the pool — just made a general mess,"
Groves said.