The Brief
- A storm sent a large tree crashing through the roof of a Brandon home on Friday, causing extensive damage across multiple rooms.
- Homeowner Trudy Reis avoided injury, because she was away on a cruise following the unexpected death of her husband of nearly 54 years.
- The damage occurred just one day after a new roof was completed, leaving the uninsured retiree searching for financial assistance or considering returning to work.
BRANDON, Fla. – A Brandon homeowner is working to repair extensive structural damage after a massive tree smashed through her roof during a Friday storm while she was out of town.
Brandon home tree damage
What we know:
Trudy Reis returned home on Saturday to find her Brandon house severely damaged after part of a large tree crashed through her roof during a Friday evening storm. The impact destroyed trusses, cracked ceilings and walls in three rooms, and ruined several pieces of furniture, though Reis narrowly escaped injury because she was away on a cruise.
“It was definitely through divine intervention,” Reis said. “God made sure I was out of the house.”
“Normally, I’m sitting in the seat in the living room watching TV at the time that this tree came through the house,” Reis said. “If I hadn’t been on the cruise, I would have been sitting there and a big cinder block came down, which could have possibly hit me.”
New roof disaster timeline
Timeline:…