Remaining damage minimal 1 year after Cape Coral tornado

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Few signs remain of the violent EF2 tornado that ripped through Southwest Cape Coral a year ago Monday.

Roofs covered with blue tarps in the months after the storm have been replaced, and uprooted trees and brush are long gone in most places. But it took nearly the entire year to get to this point for some homeowners.

Jeff Demond finally moved back into his house two days before Christmas.

“We’re still unpacking boxes,” Demond said. “Right now I just washed all the silverware that we found, so yeah, we’re still in the moving in process. The house isn’t completely finished at this point but we’re able to be back in already.”

He moved into a hotel for a few weeks immediately after the tornado. Next came a rental home that cost him $10,000. He’s still sorting out just how much he’ll end up spending on repairs to his house.

Demond had insurance but paid for a lot of work out of pocket, he said. Just finding someone to do repairs was troublesome for neighbor Bob Beattie.

“It was tough. It was really tough,” Beattie said. “Trying to get people to actually show up and give you an estimate, and then come back and do the work. A lot of people didn’t even want to be bothered. The jobs were too small for them. They wanted massive work.”

The process took eight months for Beattie. But it was not without its positives.

“The neighborhood has improved, really has,” Beattie said. “I mean people took the opportunity I think to improve their property.”

One neglected home is an exception, as WINK News reporter Adam Wright explains: