DELAND, Fla. — It has been a week since a tornado ripped through DeLand and a second tornado touched down near Port Orange, causing millions of dollars in damage.
The area has been somewhat cleaned up since then, but much work remains to be completed.
What You Need To Know
- Power is back on
- Some debris has been removed
- Some homeowners still are waiting to hear from insurance agents before they make major fixes
- RELATED: EF-2 Tornado Confirmed in DeLand, EF-0 Hit Near Orange City
A portion of a roof near East Washington Avenue is still up in a tree, but many of the downed trees and power lines that blocked roads have been removed, and power has been restored.
Homeowner Heather Cowart said she still has a lot of repairs and yard work to do, but she can’t believe the community support she has gotten so far.
“I had about 25 people in my yard one day, just making piles,” Cowart said. “It’s really nice to see how everybody has come out and wants to help.”
Cowart said she and her neighbors are still waiting to hear from their insurance agents before they tackle bigger issues, like roof repair.
According to the City of Deland, the tornado that hit there caused about $7.4 million in damage across 73 structures.
Homeowners said they’ve never seen their neighborhood so damaged before and that they believe it will take months of work before it looks anything like it did last week.