Tornado roars through Cape neighborhood
The National Weather Service has confirmed that an EF1 tornado touched down in Cape Coral with winds of about 95 miles per hour early Saturday morning.
The storm, which damaged at least a dozen homes, some severely, happened at 7 a.m. in the northwestern part of the city.
There are no reports of injuries. Damages ranged from minor to at least one home red-tagged as unsafe for habitation in the area surrounding the 1900 block of N.W. 26th Avenue.
“At about 7 all I heard was a train whistle,” said Northwest 25th Place resident Frank Casida who was first awakened with his wife Mary Ann by the sound of their house alarm. “And I knew there was no train here.”
They shut off the alarm and went back to bed only to be called by a neighbor who told them their home has been struck by a tornado.
The home the couple has lived in for 16 years suffered significant damage – roof tiles broken, large palm trees downed across the front yard, newly planted shrubs ripped from the ground and screen torn from the lanai. The heavy barbecue grill had been picked up and tossed in the side yard.
The Cape Coral Fire Department has checked on residents in the area and the Police Department and other partner agencies are working in this area to assess damage and assisting with traffic issues and downed power lines.