EF2 tornado touches down in Iona

The Iona community is beginning to recover after seeing some of the most extensive damage in Southwest Florida following this morning’s storm.

WINK News reporter Breana Ross spent much of the day on Sunday along Windcrest Drive in Iona. For now, these neighbors are still in cleanup mode.

One of the mobile homes along this road quite literally folded into itself. Luckily, every person and pet that lived there got out safely.

#BREAKING 🌪️ Southwest Florida / Iona tornado rated an EF-2. Max wind 118 mph while on the ground for under 2 miles. This is our first local EF-2 in 6 years (Cape Coral – 2016). @WINKNews @spann pic.twitter.com/hYTITBmjsF

— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWINK) January 16, 2022

Edward Murray’s world has now been turned upside down. A tornado picked up his home and flipped it onto its roof. His daughter and their dog, Coco, were inside at the time.

“It sounded like a racing train. It was really loud, and it took me off my feet and blew me against. I believe it’s the East wall, and as I heard the sound coming, I got up to go get my daughter,” Murray said.

But, Murray believes God was watching over him and his family. “God was so good to me he gave me a little cradle there. I was in the fetal position trapped by the sink, the refrigerator, the kitchen chairs and a whole bunch of rubble over on top of me,” said Murray.

The rubble didn’t crush Murray, and he was not seriously injured. First responders were able to get to him quickly. His 16-year-old daughter didn’t have such an easy time getting out, though.

“The storm went in, turned her bed over, and she was able to crawl out of the back window,” Murray said. 

But, on Sunday morning, one family member was still missing. “Unfortunately, we lost our dog. We can’t find our dog, who is Coco. He is only 18 pounds, but he is buried underneath that garbage,” said Murray, getting emotional.

Despite the mess and debris lining the streets, neighbors, friends and even strangers banded together to salvage anything left in the rubble and look for Coco.

Two neighbors later found him at the home’s highest point, where no one else had looked. Rusty Farst is one of the neighbors who found Coco. “Mike got in and crawled up and looked down and said, got the dog right here! So he made his way inside and passed him off to me, and I carried him out and handed him to the people here,” said Farst.

Michael Joffe also helped find Coco. “He was kind of in the middle of the room shaking like a leaf,” said Joffe.

Although Edward Murray’s home and life are upside down, he still has his daughter and his dog. He is still safe and sound.

“I said to the devil when I looked up and saw that I said today ain’t the day! You’re not going to get me and thank God that the fire department, the EMS, and the neighbors all made that come true,” said Murray.

Many are concerned about what they’ll do and where they’ll go because their homes are now uninhabitable. Several neighbors told WINK News they did not have insurance on their mobile homes, so their future is uncertain.

WINK News reporter Sydney Persing went to Century 21 RV Park also in Iona. After the tornado hit, there was a lot of debris to see. Between ceiling fans dangling slightly above floors to sheet metal hanging from trees to detached doors, there’s a lot to look at in the wake of a tornado.

There’s also a lot to hear, which might not be something expected. There are the sounds of tears. “I could lose my house. I don’t want to do that. Hopefully, with the grace of God, I did call my insurance company. So maybe be okay. I don’t know.”