Tuesday’s wind storm brought a harrowing surprise to a family in Sooke, after strong gusts knocked down a tree onto their home.
The tree fell around 6 a.m. Tuesday, landing across the roof of the home and sending a branch piercing through the ceiling.
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The family says the tree measures more than 30 metres (100 feet) long, and that the damage is estimated to be upwards of $25,000.
A tree removal company advised the family that it would take a huge crane to lift the large tree off of the side of the house.
Full repairs are expected to take six to 12 weeks, if not longer.
In the meantime, the family says the entire second floor is unusable due to safety risks.
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Not the first tree to fall
On Tuesday, wind warnings were issued for Greater Victoria, the Southern Gulf Islands and West Vancouver Island, where gusts were expected to reach 70 to 90 km/h.
The winds brought down trees and knocked out power to thousands, including cancelling school in the Sooke area due to power outages.
One couple in Langford also had a tree fall onto their home, though fortunately no one was injured.
Pat Begg told CHEK News that she woke up to a loud bang on her roof around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday,
“Then I opened my eyes, but it was still dark and thought, what’s hanging from the ceiling? Then I saw what was hanging from the ceiling,” Begg said.
A branch had pierced her ceiling overtop of her bedroom, where she’s lived for more than 30 years.
A second branch also crashed through the wall of another bedroom.
It was the first time the couple had seen such severe wind damage in the area, after their three decades of living there.
Dennis Beggs, Pat’s husband, thinks it may have something to do with the construction site behind their property.
“It’s a wind tunnel up there now,” he said. “Where there used to be a mountain there, now the mountain is gone.”
With files from CHEK’s Mackenzie Read and Laura Brougham
Adam Chan
