Large tree slams into Raleigh home during storm
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Tom and Sarah McGovern were enjoying a quiet night at home with their daughter, Lindsay, when a large tree snapped and slammed into their roof. The tree took a chunk out of their house and knocked their chimney, which weighs an estimated 8,000 pounds, down into their attic.
It caused the walls of their master bedroom to sink in, and insulation to pour out of the walls. A large hole in the roof also caused big problems as more than eight inches of rain fell in parts of Raleigh. Water seeped into four floors of their home, including the basement.
Now, the home is deemed unsafe for living.
"They know there is a lot of structural damage and possibly mold, so they have to tear all the sheet rock out and all of the insulation all of the carpet and kind or redo it, dry it out and start all over," Tom McGovern explained. "I work out of the house, so I'm going to have to move out and I'm going to have to figure out where to move my office and we have to figure out a place to sleep, but we have really good insurance," he explained.
The McGovern's moved to this home in 1999, just a few years after Hurricane Fran knocked 18 trees onto their last home. Some may consider them unlucky, but Sarah McGovern is just grateful everyone is OK.
"We have had so much support from friends and neighbors. We are OK. It is your house and it is heartbreaking, but it will get fixed," she said.
Their advice to other homeowners? Get good insurance.
"We have the same insurance carrier as we did during Fran I would highly recommend them," McGovern said.
