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Tree comes crashing down on house

9 January 2015

One island family sought refuge in a neighbour’s home after a tree caming crasing down on their house during the storm.

 

Jill Donnelly of Westview Terrace, Stornoway, said: “I woke up around 1.30am. The wind was absolutely ferocious. I heard this bang and then this almighty crack like lightning.

 

“There was a noise - a woosh and thud - and a cracking sound hitting the roof and window.

 

“All I could see out the window were branches.  There were no streetlights as the power was off. I just could see silhouettes of branches of the tree.”

 

Ms Donnelly added: “I was absolutely terrified because I couldn’t see if there was damage or if the roof was intact.

 

“I shot through to my young son Sam’s bedroom to see if he was ok.”

 

She got her children, Niamh, 13 and six-year-old Sam, ready to leave the house but “could not get the front door open with the force of the wind.”

 

She added: “I got the kids into the back bedroom thinking we’ll be safe in there but the wind really picking up and I was quite scared.”

 

Eventually she got out of the house and was “banging on our neighbour’s door to let us in. We stayed there for the rest of the night.”

 

Jill Donnelly and son, Sam