Severe storms topple tree through the roof of a duplex in Fort Pierce
By Ari Hait
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FORT PIERCE, Florida (WPBF) — Two families in Fort Pierce were forced to leave their homes after a large tree crashed through a roof in their duplex.
“I was in the kitchen cooking a meal,” said Darline Polycarpe, one of the residents. “Literally, two minutes later, the roof fell.”
Fortunately for Polycarpe, she had just walked out of the room.
“I heard a little, loud sound,” she said. “And when I walked in, I heard water pouring down. And when I looked around the corner, I just saw the whole roof was literally sitting on the floor.”
It wasn’t just in the kitchen.
The ceilings in both the bathroom and the bedroom both now have severe cracks, appearing as though they could collapse at any moment.
Despite that, Polycarpe believes she was lucky.
She said she knows she could have been killed when the roof in the kitchen caved in.
“All of the stuff that’s inside, there’s a lot of water damage,” she said. “My furniture that I just bought, there’s water all over it. But that can be replaced. Life can’t be replaced.”
Because of the damage, city officials condemned the building.
Polycarpe, her cousin, her two children and the family of five next door are all now looking for somewhere else to stay.
The Red Cross was on hand to help.
In addition to the damage to her home, Polycarpe also has cancer.
She has acute lymphoma and just started chemotherapy treatments.
“I don’t know,” Polycarpe said. “I’m not sure, not sure what we’re going to do.”
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