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'It's a miracle': Woman, 105, survives tornado that destroyed her Port Salerno home

WPTV reporter Dave Bohman spoke with her great-grandson who credits a little bit of luck to make it out alive
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PORT SALERNO, Fla. — A 105-year-old woman is on the mend after a tornado destroyed her home in Martin County while she was inside.

Jayne Huston loved the sound, and the view from her Port Salerno home. She lived there alone at age 105.

“She is very independent. She is caring, kind, she loves her family,” Rylee Huston said. “She wants to be in her own home, as long as she can be.”

Her independence was uprooted last Wednesday night, when a tornado ripped her home in half.

Jayne Huston did have a bit of good luck. She’d normally be in her living room, watching TV or reading. But moments before the tornado struck, she went into the bathroom, which stood up to the high winds.”

Rylee Huston great grandson of Jane Huston Oct 15 2024.png
Rylee Huston, great-grandson of Jane Huson, said his great-grandmother is distressed and upset and just wants to be back in her home.

“The neighbors had pulled her out from the bathroom,” Rylee Huston said.

 So, how did the 105-year-old woman survive?

 “It’s a miracle,” Rylee Huston said. “I can’t tell you how and why, but she survived.”

The 105-year-old is still in the hospital, where she needed surgery on her foot. She’s healing and also dealing with a badly bruised back.

“She’s distressed. She’s upset,” Rylee Huston said. “She keeps thinking, ‘I want to go home,’ but she doesn’t have a home to go to.”

Jane Huston home Port Salerno.png
Jane Huston's home in Port Salerno destroyed during tornado on Oct. 9, 2024.

Rylee Huston isn’t sure if Jane Huston’s home can be rebuilt or where his fiercely, independent great-grandmother will live when she gets out of the hospital.

“She’ll live through it. She always has,” he said. “But I just want her to get back to where she wants to be.”

Rylee Huston has started a GoFundMe page to help his great-grandmother get back on her feet once she's out of the hospital. To donate, click here.

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