ORANGE CITY, Fla. — A family of 10 living in Orange City awoke to a deafening crash caused by a huge tree that was knocked over early Friday as Hurricane Hermine raged outside.
The home was built by Habitat for Humanity and the owners said they’d only been living there for about two months.
There was a lot of sweat equity in the home, making the damage even more devastating, homeowner Youssef Aouni said.
“Each one (of us) put about 400 hours in volunteering as our share of the down payment for the house,” he said. “So we worked hard, we worked hard. We sweat a lot."
[ Photos: Tree falls on Orange City home ]
“We were excited to move to this house and then a hurricane in Florida happens,” Youssef said.
The tree fell at about 5:45 a.m. in the midst of a storm system moving through the area, the family said.
Damage done to the family’s cars was also significant, but no one was injured when the tree crashed to the ground, they said.
"Materials things come and go. I mean, we are safe. Thank God," he said.
The family said the structure of the home is OK, but there could potentially be some damage in the attic, which could cause some leaking in the future.