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Orange City family displaced after tree falls on home
A tree fell on top of a family's home, through the roof and injuring their daughter. The fell through the living room and their 15-year-old daughter's room. Now, the family is living in a hotel, trying to save enough for a new place to live.
ORANGE CITY, Fla. - An Orange City family has been forced into a hotel after a massive tree crashed through the roof of their rental home on Sunday evening, injuring a teenager inside.
The incident happened while Cortland Downs, Shannon Hempel, and Hempel’s 15-year-old daughter, and their roommate were all inside the house.
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According to the family, the impact was so severe that the tree crashed through the living room and the daughter's bedroom simultaneously.
Because the front door was jammed shut by the structural damage, the family was forced to crawl through a front window to escape the wreckage.
Orange City firefighters arrived on the scene to help the family get out safely.
The family noted that because they all work from home, the loss of the home has also stripped them of their ability to earn a living through their primary jobs. They are currently relying on gig work like DoorDash and Instacart to make ends meet.
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What they're saying:
Downs says it was not storming when the tree fell.
"When it fell through the roof and finally everything cleared, we saw the sun," Downs said. "That’s how big the hole is. We saw the full sky."
Hempel says her daughter has scratches on her back from when the tree fell through her bedroom roof. "She’s hurting. When she walks, she hurts," Hempel said. "She has all kinds of scratches all over her back."
Downs says the front door was stuck, so they all had to climb through a front window to safety. "Firefighters helped us through the window," Downs said. "I made sure everybody got out first."
What's next:
The landlord has refunded a portion of the family's rent and provided funding for two nights at a hotel. However, the family is now searching for a permanent place to live.
They are working toward saving enough money for a down payment on a new apartment to replace the home they lost.
Hempel has created a GoFundMe as they save money for a down payment on an apartment.
The Source: This story was written with information gathered by FOX 35 reporter Chancelor Winn.