CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A Coral Gables family got a rude awakening overnight Wednesday as strong storms came through South Florida; a large tree fell onto their home and a car in their front yard.
Zina Salman, who lives in the home along Campo Sano Avenue, said she, her husband and two children went back to sleep after hearing the loud noise, not knowing that part of the tree was actually sitting on their bedroom.
“It sound(ed) like a nuclear bomb,” homeowner Zina Salman said. “My little one woke up and definitely the storm was violent, the noise was loud.”
Salman said she calmed her children down and looked at her phone and saw severe thunderstorm alerts, as well as calls from neighbors asking if she was OK. She then walked outside to find the downed tree blocking her driveway.
“It was a scary night,” she said. “Definitely, we did not expect this big damage.”
The tree also fell onto her husband’s car, shattering its windows. Luckily, no one was hurt.
Coral Gables and University of Miami police blocked off the area during cleanup efforts.
Salman said she’s grateful the storm came through when it did.
“I’m thankful it happened around 4:30, not at, like, 7 when we go and drop off the kids otherwise it would have definitely been a life-threatening situation,” she said.