Cape Coral’s recent history with damaging tornadoes
Six years ago — almost to the day of the tornado that damaged 108 homes in the Iona area on Sunday — a twister tore through Lee County, leaving a swath of damaged homes in its wake.
That time, though, the tornado roared through Cape Coral with peak winds of 132 miles per hour.
The Jan. 9, 2016, “weather event” — among those the National Weather Service has categorized as severe — cut a 200-yard wide path of destruction after it touched down at 6:45 p.m. On the ground for an estimated 8 minutes, it rolled for 3.4 miles through an area bordered by Gleason Parkway to the north, Cape Coral Parkway to the south, Pelican Boulevard to the east and Sands Boulevard to the west, damaging more than 200 homes in its path.
One house was destroyed and 19 suffered major damage, officials reported at the time.
It downed more than 100 power poles and vehicular access was limited due to both fallen power lines and road debris.
Nonetheless, the Cape Coral Fire Department put more than 100 personnel on the street who went door to door to do damage assessments and welfare checks and the Cape Coral Police Department put additional 30 officers on the road.
There were no serious injuries.
Property damage was extensive. Early estimates came in at $6 million. The number was bumped later to $6.6 million.
Debris — shingles, siding, branches, downed trees and more — was strewn far and wide in yards, along and in roadways and in Cape canals.
The city of Cape Coral appropriated $1.2 million for cleanup, repairs and staff overtime. An estimated $850,000 was allocated for debris removal alone.
What happens in the wake of a major tornado?
In the Cape six years ago, a lot.
Then-Gov. Rick Scott, now U.S. Sen. Scott, came to town to assess the damage.
And Cape Coral rallied around those affected.
As reported in The Breeze, hundreds helped with storm cleanup. The effort was classified as “neighbors helping neighbors,” becoming “strangers helping strangers” the following week.
More than 500 volunteers, a dozen eateries and countless companies quickly joined forces at Aqualinda and Beach boulevards, the staging area for one of the biggest coming together events that Cape Coral had then seen.
Volunteers knocked on doors, picked up trash, cut down trees and did whatever they could to help those who were devastated by the Saturday evening tornado that had ripped through the Southwest Cape, leaving many without homes, clothing and other necessities.
A rally later followed with money raised earmarked to go to The Red Cross to help families in need of assistance.
Other major tornado events in the Cape include:
• Oct. 19, 2019: An EF1 tornado — the same classification of tornado that hit south County Sunday morning — touched down in the area surrounding the 1900 block of Northwest 26th Avenue with winds of about 95 miles per hour on Oct. 19, 2019. The tornado hit the ground at 6:45 a.m. just east of Diplomat Parkway and El Dorado Boulevard at Northwest 14th Lane, according to the National Weather Service. It ran northwest toward Van Buren Parkway for 1.03 miles before dissipating at 6:47. At least a dozen homes were damaged with damage ranging from minor to significant. In addition to heavy destruction to residences, the funnel picked up and rolled at least two vehicles, each more than 100 feet.
• June 13, 2008 — A brief, weak tornado “on the leading edge of a thunderstorm gust front” damaged 18 homes after touching down near Pelican Boulevard at 3:45 p.m. on June 13, 2008, according to NOAA. It traveled .29 miles along a path that was 70 yards wide. Fourteen homes suffered minor damage, mostly to pool cages and roof shingles. Four homes had moderate damage to roofs and soffits. Wind speeds were estimated around 80 mph, according to NOAA.
• Sept. 16, 2007 — A thunderstorm that developed from just south of Fort Myers Beach northward into Cape Coral, spawned two tornadoes during the night of Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007, NOAA reports. The first tornado began as a waterspout southwest of Fort Myers Beach making landfall on the beach as an EF0 tornado, “stirring up a large amount of sand and causing roof damage to a resort hotel.” Minutes later, a second tornado touched down in south Cape Coral as an EF1 tornado, “producing substantial property damage, with property damage assessments estimated at $4 million, not including vehicles, boats, fences, sheds and utility infrastructure,” according to NOAA.
The tornado traveled north from near the Rose Garden and El Dorado Parkway, W., to near Skyline Boulevard and Veterans Memorial Parkway along a small path for about 4.4 miles. Average wind speed was 65-75 mph with a peak at 105 mph. About 138 homes were damaged, with one, affected by the highest winds, “nearly cut in half.” NOAA reports that in addition to the one destroyed, six homes received moderate damage. “There was one injury as a gentleman looked outside to see the tornado and was struck by debris,” according to NOAA. Thirty people were displaced.
Sources: Stories previously published by The Breeze and storm event archive reports from ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/ and weather.gov
Story links:
Tornado of 2016:
* EF-2 tornado causes major damage in southwest Cape Coral: https://www.capecoralbreeze.com/news/local-news/2016/01/10/ef-2-tornado-causes-major-damage-in-southwest-cape-coral/
* Surviving a front row seat in Cape tornado: http://www.capecoralbreeze.com/news/local-news/2016/01/13/surviving-a-fron…-in-cape-tornado/
* Hundreds help with storm cleanup: http://www.capecoralbreeze.com/news/local-news/2016/01/15/hundreds-help-with-storm-cleanup/
* City allocates up to $1.2 million towards tornado cleanup: https://www.capecoralbreeze.com/news/local-news/2016/01/12/city-allocates-up-to-1-2-million-towards-tornado-cleanup/
* Tornado debris cleanup almost done: https://www.capecoralbreeze.com/news/local-news/2016/01/22/tornado-debris-cleanup-almost-done/
Tornado of 2019
* ‘All I heard was a train whistle’: https://www.capecoralbreeze.com/news/local-news/2019/10/22/all-i-heard-was-a-train-whistle/
* Tornado roars through Cape neighborhood: https://www.capecoralbreeze.com/news/local-news/2019/10/19/tornado-roars-through-cape-neighborhood/
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