SPRING, Texas — A family of five is safe after a large tree came crashing through the middle of their home as Wednesday night’s storms brought nearly 100 mph wind gusts to areas north of Houston.
Other than some bumps and scratches, the family who lives at the home on Old Ox Road made it out with no serious injuries, including two little girls.
The homeowner said they are devastated after their dream home of more than five years was destroyed in a matter of seconds by a nearly 100-foot-tall pine tree. Strong winds uprooted the huge tree from their neighbor’s yard and it crashed through the entire length of their house.
Air 11 captured views of the damage from above.
PHOTOS & VIDEOS: Strong storms cause damage across Houston area
The homeowner, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was in his backyard Wednesday night when he first noticed the storm clouds rolling in and the winds picking up.
He said instincts told him he needed to move his family to the back of the house and into his daughter’s first-floor bedroom.
That's where he, his wife and their 2 and 4-year-old girls were when the tree smashed through their home splitting the two-story home nearly in half. His mother-in-law stayed upstairs in her bedroom.
"It's a crack and a boom. And then you could feel the house shake from the tree falling on it,” he said. "It's heartbreaking. I've cried all day because we've worked hard to put this house together and get it where it is now, we take care of it, and this is a place we can call home."
Video from inside the home showed debris everywhere as the frame of the house splintered into pieces.
The homeowner said seconds after the tree crashed through their home, he grabbed his family and they ran out of the house, into their truck and drove away. They were scared the house would collapse on them.
He said rain then drenched the home, destroying everything inside including his two little girls hearing devices. Both his daughters suffer from hearing loss.
If you'd like to help the family, you can reach them at CORTNEYDAVID@ROCKETMAIL.COM.
West of there in the Northampton Community, residents said the storm that toppled trees was pretty scary.
“Lots of power flashes from the transformer we have in the back here, and the wind just got extremely high we took cover under our staircase, then heard a loud boom,” Sarah Back said.
A few streets over, a house next to Cody Wright's had a pair of big trees fall on it. They thought it might be a tornado.
“When it was rolling in you can start seeing transformers popping off, turning the sky green and blue —whatever color and then as soon as the wind started coming out of nowhere within 5 minutes it felt like a tornado was coming through,” he said.