Family safe after tree falls on home during Friday tornado

By Stephen Moody

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    OKALOOSA COUNTY, Florida (WALA) — Several homes were damaged and trees were destroyed in Okaloosa county after a suspected tornado went through the area Friday morning.

It’s a sound that no homeowner wants to hear during severe weather. The sound of a train indicating that a tornado is close by

Thankfully no one was injured, but now the cleanup begins.

“When I came out, I didn’t think much of anything. I looked out the door and the entire tree was at my front porch,” Homeowner Aimee Cook said.

Her family and volunteers worked to clear debris from the storm out of her yard. That includes a 60 foot oak tree that landed on her home. Amazingly, the tree caused only minimal damage.

Cook told FOX10 it started when she got the tornado warning alert.

“The side door flew open and all this wind. And I could hear the locomotive sound coming. I was shaking, terrified. Luckily, it slammed shut again. You can just feel the suction. It was scary,” Cook said.

After the storm, it was time to make sure everyone was okay. But one person was still missing next door.

“I went running in soaking wet trying to find and make sure grandma was okay… She wasn’t answering, so I just kept calling for her. Then all of a sudden, I hear this meek little voice say ‘I’m in here’. She was hidden in the closet with her dog Sadie,” Cook said.

At least six other homes were damaged. And crews worked throughout the afternoon to clear power lines. But for this family, they’re just glad to still have their home and each other.

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