Family’s roof in Cape Coral damaged by fallen tree during storm

In Cape Coral, Tropical Storm Eta’s effects brought an unwanted visitor to a family in the form of a tree falling on their home and putting a hole in the roof. A blue tarp covered the damages Thursday after firefighters had moved the tree off the the family’s home.

“I started freaking out because I didn’t really process what was going on,” Shelly Romero said.

Romero told us the experience left her feeling helpless.

“I immediately started going into panic; I started crying,” Romero said.

She wasn’t the only one. Romero’s sister told us her daughter, who was in the house during the storm, doesn’t understand what happened.

“She is very nervous right now. She keeps asking if the ceiling is going to fall on mommy’s head,” said Jenifer Hernandez, whose interview was translated from Spanish to English.

The hole in the roof forced the family to use a kiddie pool to collect water as the rain poured down. Romero told us she’s counting her blessings.

“The roof could’ve completely caved in,” Romero said. “I’m so grateful that it didn’t, and it was just a hole that could be fixed, but it could’ve been so much worse.”

The family said now they’ve got to find a company that can cut up the tree and take it away, and there are the costs to repairing the big hole. They have insurance, but they’re still bracing themselves for how much this will all cost.