Brandon home seriously damaged after tree goes through roof

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:

Reis had just completed major work on her house to meet policy requirements prior to the storm. She was uninsured when the accident occurred.

"I had just gotten a new roof put on, because I couldn't renew my homeowner's insurance without a new roof," Reis said. "So, they finished the roof on Thursday. The tree fell on Friday. I got home on Saturday."

Unexpected loss before storm

The backstory:

The trip that saved her life was organized by her family to help her cope with grief. Her sister and sister-in-law took her on the cruise after her husband of nearly 54 years died unexpectedly.

"It was just a whole new phase trying to pick up everything that he did for me," Reis said. "He was my rock."

Family helping after disaster

What they're saying:

Family members quickly stepped in to assist Reis with initial recovery efforts. She is currently staying with her son while relatives care for her dogs, and her daughter flew in from New Jersey to help clear debris.

"My son is awesome. His wife is awesome, my daughter flew down, and she's in New Jersey," Reis said. "She flew down to help, and they cleaned up the basic mess but there's still so much, so much to do."

Financial strain on retiree

Why you should care:

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

"He has put in a couple of applications for me for assistance, but we haven't heard back from anybody yet," Reis said. "So, it's basically a wait and see period."

Despite the devastation, Reis found comfort in having digitized family photos of her late husband right before the storm, focusing on her safety after the tragedy.

Returning to work options

What's next:

Reis is exploring all options to cover the funding gap for repairs, including coming out of retirement. She recently retired as a school bus driver at the end of the school year, but she may return to work to afford the restoration.