A Brandon homeowner, Trudy Reis, returned home on Saturday to find her house severely damaged after a massive tree smashed 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.

Divine Intervention

Reis believes it was through divine intervention that she was not injured, as she was out of town on a cruise at the time of the incident. She had just completed major work on her house to meet policy requirements prior to the storm and was uninsured when the accident occurred.

Reis’ family had organized the trip to help her cope with grief after her husband of nearly 54 years died unexpectedly. Her son, daughter, and other relatives are now helping her with the recovery efforts.

Financial Strain

Without insurance coverage, Reis faces steep costs to rebuild roof trusses, repair walls, and replace ruined furniture. Her son has submitted applications for disaster relief, but they remain in limbo.

Original reporting: Tampa Bay Florida News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.