Pandemic makes storm cleanup trickier

A Garner woman who identified herself only as Sheila said she was sitting in her bedroom on Perdido Court on Monday morning when she heard a loud noise. Realizing a tree landed in her living room, she rushed her family outside.

"It was loud and terrible. I got up, we grabbed our things and we ran out the house," she said. "I was skeptical coming out of the house, but we had to get out because I didn’t know if another tree was coming. We ran out. We didn’t think about being quarantined at that time."

Sheila said it was by the grace of God that her life was spared.

“It’s just a lot to deal with. In the midst of all of this, I want to tell God thank you because we could have been gone,” she said.

The family will be staying at a hotel temporarily, and the Red Cross is assisting them.

On Fayetteville Road in Raleigh, a mother and daughter were trapped inside their home after a tree fell on it.

Someone working next door recalled the moment this happened and said he’s thankful no one was hurt.

“I’m happy I’m safe and able to talk to you and the Lord spare their life. They didn’t get hurt," Chris Shepherd said. "So, we are all glad to be taking to you. There’s so much going on in the world right now."

A massive tree fell on the home of photojournalist Mark Stebnicki, who was on the job when his wife called to inform him of the damage. She and their newborn baby were unharmed.

The tree was so large that it also hit the home of Stebnicki's neighbor, who is blind. She also was unhurt.