Tracy McMahon and her husband Tam have been left without a roof over their heads after Storm Éowyn battered their home. It comes after a red weather warning was issued for Northern Ireland
A homeowner has recalled how she could hear “thudding” before her roof ripped off during trecherous conditions caused by Storm Éowyn.
Tracy McMahon, 36, from Derrytresk, Ireland, and her husband Tam were at home with their pet dogs when they suddenly woke up to the terrifying noise at around 4am. The pair had to run to their kitchen with torches and wait out for the storm to pass.
The couple, who didn’t renew their home insurance, have now been left to stump up the hefty costs after the storm “wrecked” the property. Tracy said her childhood home held special memories. But with Storm Herminia now on the way, they are facing a race against the clock to repair the damage.
Speaking about the ordeal, Tracy said: “It was about half four in the morning when we could hear the thudding. It was just me and my husband and I suppose the dogs. I have a wee house dog and then a big dog, but the big dog had pups there so we were keeping her in the house.
“She has five pups. The wee dog was scared but the big one seemed content enough.” She continued: “The first part of the roof came off about half four, that’s the front part of the house above the bedrooms. We heard the thudding noise and we have an outside camera, so we could see the sheets coming down at the camera. It’s a cladding roof. We knew at that point the roof was off.
“I couldn’t see nothing. It was pitch black. We moved into another part of the house, into the kitchen, and we were just waiting it out. We switched the power off so we were sitting with the torch going. We had to wait it out because, obviously, we wouldn’t even see in the dark if something was going to come flying at you. The kitchen is at the back of the house, but then the roof came off that side of the house at about half six.
“We just had to continue sitting it out. We were just sitting there. I was petrified. I would be a very nervous person. My husband wasn’t as bad, he would be very laid back.” Tracy’s brother, who lives nearby, could see the damage to the house from a distance away and arrived to take the pair to safety. He came down to get us in the van,” Tracy said. “The back door to the house was blocked off. We got out the front of the house but we had to hold the spouting and all off because everything was just hanging down, blocking the front door. We lived in that house for about five years but it’s actually my home house, it’s where I grew up.”
The full extent of the damage is not yet known, but Tracy said the electrics, plumbing and ceilings have all suffered severe damage, with “structural damage” also likely, reports Belfast Live. “The house is wrecked,” she added. “We’ve got most of the house emptied now and we’ve been able to save some of it, but most if it has to be dumped. There’s a lot of water damage because the pipes were actually burst where some of the timbers come down on top of the pipes, and that’s caused a lot of damage.” She added: “We need all the help we can get.”
The couple raised over £6,000 at the time of publishing. To donate visit here.
