Tornado repairs present unforeseen costs for SFM owners

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Clean-up efforts continued in South Fort Myers Monday after the area was hit by a tornado last week.

Some property owners are feeling the financial impact of Friday’s tornado and predict that it could be weeks before their units are back in normal condition.

Cindy Keenan said she was out of town when she got a call from the individuals renting her condo at The South Point West Condos off McGregor Boulevard.

“My renters called me. I was down in Key Largo and started back not knowing what exactly had happened,” Keenan said. “They were trapped in here.”

The renters were unharmed, Keenan said. But her property suffered water damage from the tornado.

Before workers arrive, Keenan attempted to dry out the unit with fans and dehumidifiers. The needed repairs are extensive, said an owner of a repairs company.

“So it needs to be repaired. You know, the cellings, the insulation being put back in there. She also has a little bit of flooring damage, too, and the screens and things like that will have to be done,” Linda Gobelt, a co-owner of Fire and Flood Recovery Team.

The estimated cost of repairs to Keenan’s property is several thousand dollars.

“It’s probably about 2500, 3000 that would be my guess with everything,” Gobelt said.

Electrical crews were also seen working on the complex Monday.