Cleanup underway after weekend tornado damages homes in North Fort Myers

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—A tornado touched down in North Fort Myers Sunday, leaving homes damaged and neighbors cleaning up the mess.

The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-0 tornado with estimated winds of 65 miles per hour touched down in the Tamiami Village Motorhome Community. Four homes were damaged, two of them suffering severe damage.

The cleanup moved quickly, but the damage was still hard to miss.

One home had its roof completely gone, walls caved in and a piece of metal hanging out. The area looked very different than it did the night before because neighbors said the cleanup started the moment the storm passed.

Larry Schroeder didn't even see the tornado—he heard it.

"I was sitting in there, and I said, it's noisy outside, so I got up to look, and by the time I got up to look, it was gone," Schroeder said.

By the time he stepped outside, roofs were ripped apart, power lines were down and debris covered the streets. James Gott, a neighbor, said there was metal and parts and windows laying in the middle of the streets.

While some neighbors woke up to the damage, others never saw the storm coming. One woman was about to walk her dog when it started raining.

Seconds later, flying debris hit her as she ran inside, leaving her with a fractured foot. Gott said those storms can be very brutal.

The sound of heavy equipment replaced the sound of the wind Monday. Neighbors helped their neighbors, knowing some of these homes may never be the same.

"I feel really bad for our neighbors. I mean, they're good friends of ours," Kelly Wright said.

For Schroeder, the damage felt all too familiar.

"It was just like living Ian all over again because in Ian, it was just like, you know, roofs got torn off houses too. I lost mine on my house, so I know what it's like, and it's a sad thing," Schroeder said.

Neighbors tell WINK News they were thankful no lives were lost and everyone in their community was okay.