Cape tornado victim: ‘It was like a war zone’

CAPE CORAL, Fla. – Dave Hock raced to the den, pulled his 89-year-old mother out of her chair, placed her on the floor and laid on top of her.

The trees across from his SW 21st Place home were blowing hard to the north. Then the walls inside his home started shaking.

That’s when it hit Hock – A tornado was approaching his home.

“And things just started exploding and bright flashes of light, and it was like being in a war zone,” he said Monday. “Got up, tried to figure out how to get out of the house. My garage door was barricaded by a metal shelf.”

Hock described the moment as “35, 45 seconds of mayhem.”

Afterwards, Hock then wondered where his truck was.

It ended up under his boat.

“This is like holy moly. This is bad. This is real, real bad,” he said. “It’s probably the worse thing I’ve ever had to live through, but I survived.”

All Cape Coral roads were open Monday as the city continues to recover from an EF2 tornado that struck the southwest area on Saturday.

Cleanup continues

City council members voted Monday afternoon in favor of capping cleanup costs at $1.2 million and plan to ask Gov. Rick Scott, who surveyed the damage in person on Sunday, for assistance from the state.

The city has already spent $580,000 in clean up costs, said officials, who added that if more funds are needed for cleanup, then they will address it at the next city council meeting.

The tornado left about $6.6 million in damage, city officials said. About 200 homes sustained low to moderate damage, 19 homes had major damage and one home was destroyed, officials said.

Power was restored to all customers by Monday evening, the Lee County Electric Cooperative said.

Nearly 10,000 people were without power at one point, officials said. Parts of Cape Coral, Fort Myers and Sanibel Island, as well as parts of Charlotte, Hendry and Collier counties, were without power Saturday night, LCEC officials said.

The tornado touched down at about 6:45 p.m. in an area bordered by Gleason Parkway to the north, Cape Coral Parkway to the south, Pelican Boulevard to the east, and Sands Boulevard to the west.

EF2 storms, which are categorized at “strong,” can produce winds between 111 and 135 mph. Saturday’s tornado had an estimated peak wind of 132 mph and a path length of 3.4 miles, the National Weather Service said.

No serious injuries or deaths were reported.

An American Red Cross shelter that opened for tornado victims was closed Monday after no one utilized the space.

Community steps in

Hock, whose home was condemned, was amazed by the number of people who came to help.

“So many people showed up here and helped clean up and help salvage things and get things out of here,” he said. “It was really heart touching. It really, really was.”

The devastation reminded Daniel Cola, owner of Cola Cooling, of Hurricane Charley, which devastated Southwest Florida in 2004.

His childhood home was destroyed by the hurricane.

Cola spent Monday helping Hock salvage what he could.

“We got the enclosed trailer out here for dry goods,” he said. “My main concern was getting the family photos, furniture, stuff that could be salvaged and put into dry storage.”

Heather O’Brien spent Monday handing out bottled water to first responders and families.

“Being able to use your heart and having the ability to do it with the business that you have, combining the two is very amazing,” said Heather O’Brien, the office manager for Sea Tow Fort Myers. “One of our coworkers took a picture of me handing a case of water to a family and seeing that later made me cry. It’s amazing, it’s an amazing feeling to be able to help somehow.”

Susan Bennett, managing realtor at Century 21 Sunbelt Realty on Cape Coral Parkway West, is collecting donations at her office.

“It’s the neighbor thing to do,” said Bennett, whose home suffered minor damage. “I really felt like we were blessed that we were saved.”

Elizabeth Vezquez and her husband were handing out pizzas on SW 16th Place.

“This is our way of helping out those who need help,” she said. “Or just giving to the workers.”

Generator tips

• Never use a generator indoors and always keep the generator in well ventilated area a minimum of five feet from the home.  The generator should not be near any openings such as doors or windows.
• Have several battery carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors installed throughout the home.
• Store spare fuel in approved containers and away from heat sources such as the generator.
• Turn off appliances prior to starting the generator.
• Let the generator cool for a minimum of 5 minutes prior to refueling.
• Plug appliances directly into the generator or use approved heavy duty outdoor extension cords.