LAFAYETTE PARISH — A Lafayette Parish couple and their dog were forced to evacuate their home late Thursday night after a 120 year old oak tree fell on their home damaging their roof during Thursday night's powerful storm.
The storm left downed trees, power lines, and home damage across parishes following powerful winds and rain. The storm had come and gone but not before leaving a path of destruction and power outages throughout the night.
At William and Jody Gillis’ home on Fountainbleu Road, Thursday night’s storm is one they will never forget.
“We went to the bathroom for a safe place and all of a sudden we heard this scratch and water was coming into our dining room, said William.
Luckily William, his wife, and their dog are safe but have to deal with the impact of the storm.
“This is the second time this has happened in two years. We just rebuilt because my tree fell on my house, now my neighbors tree fell on my house.”
Despite the damage, William and his wife were in good spirits.
Next door neighbor Johanna Kerico whose property the tree was on says it held special meaning to her as she was planning to name it after her daughter, Nichole Prevatt who died in 2002.
“I was just getting ready to put a brass on the tree to name after a daughter I had lost,” said Johanna.
Although Johanna won’t get that opportunity, she say she’s grateful her neighbors are safe.
Meanwhile, the images of damage continued across Aacadia with downed trees and power lines reported in Lafayette, Duson and Scott, St Martin Parish and many other areas.
UPDATE:
Late Monday afternoon, crews from Lafayette Consolidated Government were on scene to remove portions of the tree from the 400 block of Fountainbleu Drive. The tree was blocking the main road since Thursday's storm.
