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Florida Family Barely Escapes as Tree Crashes Through Home During Hurricane Ian: VIDEO

Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida yesterday (September 28) as a Category 4 storm, bringing devastating winds and flooding rain along with it. In all, around 5 million square acres of the west coast of Florida were submerged. The flood waters range from 6 inches to 10 feet in depth.

Those slightly further north received a far gentler blow, but the damage to the Tampa area is still quite severe. Road signs were blown over, shingles torn off, and entire trees were uprooted during the ferocious storm.

One Hillsborough County resident, Bob Pekar, shared a horrifying video of the damage Hurricane Ian caused to his home as it was happening. He and his family were in the lanai filming the yard as debris hurtled through the air. All of a sudden, a massive tree just outside the screened canopy suddenly broke free of the ground below.

Before the family had time to react, the tree crashed through the screen ceiling and wall of the lanai. Those within screamed in terror as the branches fell all around them.

The homeowner then shared a second video, this time from the outside of the home. From this angle, it’s made clear that not one but two trees fell in his backyard.

A portion of their fence stuck straight into the air, the other portion crushed. The lanai is clearly missing several panels. The trampoline, however, is relatively unharmed, despite the enormous tree laying near it.

Tampa Area Family Remain in Good Spirits in the Aftermath of Hurricane Ian

During the events of the disastrous afternoon, the Pekar family lost their above-ground pool in addition to the damage to the protective screen over their lanai. Despite the near-life-threatening incident and severe damage to their home from Hurricane Ian, however, the family is simply grateful it wasn’t worse.

“The Pekar family from Valrico is in good spirits tonight,” said WFLA reporter Justin Schecker. “Even after not one but two trees came crashing down on the back of their home, taking out the lanai and destroying their pool. Dad says he has already filed an insurance claim.”

In the accompanying picture, the entire Pekar family sport smiles as they stand inside their totaled lanai. We know the picture was taken at night because of the caption. It’s impossible to tell the time of day just by looking at the picture, however, as the entire background is engulfed by the fallen tree.