CUYAHOGA FALLS — Tens of thousands of Northeast Ohio residents woke up this morning without electricity.
RELATED: Thousands still without power in Northeast Ohio
Severe storms rolled through the area overnight and caused damage, including in Cuyahoga Falls, where a tree fell right through a family's home.
“I heard the wind pick-up, and it sounded like a bomb went off right next to me. It scared me to death, I’m shocked I didn’t have a heart attack,” said Homeowner, Henry Ryan.
Brenda and Henry Ryan were ready to call it a night until an overnight storm caused a tree from their neighbor’s yard to fall into their home.
“It’s crazy one tree can do so much damage, but we're just blessed that everyone is okay,” said Brenda.
The tree put 10 holes into their roof, took out their AC, shattered a lot of their windows around the home and landed a few feet away from where they were lying down.
“A part of the tree came about two feet behind my head when it came through the roof, if it would’ve landed a few more inches, I may not be here,” said Henry.
And although they are upset about losing their AC for most of the summer, the couple is most grateful their 14-year-old grandson wasn’t home during the storm.
“A part of the tree went through my grandson's room, right where his head would have been, and it threw the bed to the other side of the room. So, that was very shocking, nerve-wracking and it took me a second to calm down when I realized that,” said Brenda.
And they are thanking a certain guardian angel that sits right above his bed for keeping him safe and out of the home during the storm.
“His crucifix and his picture of his mom that passed away still stayed up, so we feel like his mom was protecting him,” said Brenda.
Immediately after the tree damaged their house, the local fire department was able to send a contractor who was able to temporarily patch up the holes on the roof and around the home.
“That contractor was here at our house at three o'clock in the morning, and we were sitting at my dining room table looking at my insurance and getting everything set up. And we’re thankful that we had somebody right away to come and help us because we've never had anything like this happen,” said Brenda.
So, until they can get their house repaired and create more memories in their back patio, the couple will be finding unique ways to feed the birds that depend on their feeders that were knocked down during the storm.
“Everything should be repaired by July, but the only thing I care about is we are all safe. Because we can fix this, we can’t bring back people,” said Brenda.
