Disabled veteran’s home destroyed in Charlotte County tornado

DEEP CREEK, Fla.- A disabled Army veteran is among those who are struggling to find a place to live following the destructive tornado that hit Charlotte County last week.

Thirty-two homes were damaged and eleven of those were determined to be unlivable, including Ezequiel Rodriguez’s house.

“Very loud, a very loud sound and when the house started shaking, that’s when my father grabbed me and took me to the closet,” Rodriguez said. “I really feared for our lives.”

A parachute accident left the veteran paralyzed. Now he’s facing another battle, finding a place to live.

“When we saw everything, we were just heartbroken,” Rodriguez said.

The husband and father of three says he’s thankful to be alive. Rodriguez had been staying with his father to help save money to move into his own wheelchair accessible home. Rodriguez says the home’s severe roof and water damage have become a major setback.

“We were trying to save money to get a house where it is wheelchair accessible,” Rodriguez said. “Now we’re staying in my sister’s house and it’s smaller and we’re more people in there, it’s more uncomfortable.”

If you’d like to help the veteran and his family get back on their feet, you can donate to the GoFundMe account.

“Getting a house that is completely wheelchair accessible would be the biggest relief that I could imagine,” Rodriguez said.