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Gonzales family had to break out of house after fallen tree traps them

3 weeks 5 days 12 hours ago Thursday, September 12 2024 Sep 12, 2024 September 12, 2024 9:52 PM September 12, 2024 in News
Source: WBRZ

GONZALES - Marc Reynolds says he and his son were sitting in the living room of their Babin Street home watching TV when they heard something odd around 8:30 p.m.

"We first heard a crackling noise," he said.

Before they knew it, a large oak tree smashed through the roof.

"It sounded like a car coming through the wall. It sounded like someone driving through our house."

After realizing what happened, Reynolds says they were trapped inside.

"We had to break part of the wall right next to the door, and then I had to crawl out of the kitchen under the tree, and then I went to the front of the house, and had to get a pry bar to pry the front door open so my kid could get out."

Then, they saw the extent of the damage.

"The living room and kitchen are fully destroyed. All the roof, the house has shifted over about two feet to the side, all the cinder blocks, the gas lines, the water lines are all broke. It's done. It's gone."

Reynolds admits when prepping for the storm, they never considered it would be this tree that could come down.

"This one has always been real healthy, real big and the roots have always been real big. We've never been worried about this tree."

For now, they're just happy to be safe.

"We're gonna stay with some family for as long as we can, and just go from there, but we have no clue what we're doing."

According to Ascension Parish authorities, this is just one of at least 10 cases of trees on homes as a result of Francine. 

The sheriff says they responded to 65 downed tree calls throughout the evening. 

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