Sunday’s weather resulted in the destruction of dozens of Southwest Florida homes, with thousands more left without power.
Lee County saw an EF2 tornado on Sunday morning reach up to 118 mph, the strongest tornado to hit southwest Florida since 2016. A total of 27 homes were destroyed, 24 suffered major damage, and 14 had minor damage. Florida Power & Light reported that 2,086 customers in the county were still without power in the afternoon, according to News-Press.
No deaths were reported from the tornado, though four people did suffer minor injuries. County Commission Chairman Cecil Pendergrass said 62 of the homes in the tornado’s path were unlivable, the outlet reported.
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Around 300 Lee County residents were displaced by the tornado, according to the county’s state of emergency. The county opened a recreation center for shelter to help those displaced by the storm.
Charlotte County also experienced the wrath of a tornado Sunday morning that reached 110 mph peak winds. At least 35 homes were damaged by the tornado, with damages totaling roughly $500,000, according to NBC 2. Like Lee County, a recreation center was open on Sunday for those affected by the severe weather.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis wrote on social media that he and his wife were praying for the tornado victims and that the Florida Department of Emergency had sent a response team to help.
.@FLCaseyDeSantis and I are praying for the families impacted by yesterday’s severe weather in SWFL. @FLSERT immediately sent a response team and my administration will do all we can to provide resources to families.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 16, 2022
