Family counting blessings after tree crashes into home: 'We were handed a miracle'

NEWARK, Delaware (WPVI) -- The storms felt Tuesday were nothing compared to what happened along Squirrel Lane in Newark, Delaware, on Monday.

The winds and downpours ripped down a rotted tree. It fell right into the kitchen of a home where a family of five was preparing dinner.

"We were handed a miracle. We were able to get out of there," said Liabeth Yohannes. "None of it made sense to me. I just heard this loud noise and thought, 'Were we all electrocuted?'"

It wasn't a bolt of lightning but a large tree that crashed into the kitchen.

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Yohannes was with her husband and their two young children, visiting her mother, who owns the home.

"My daughter was in the perfect spot where everything fell right around her like a pyramid, and I was able to pull her out. My son was okay. He had minor scratches on his back. My husband was there, and we all walked out. A whole line of firemen and ambulances and police, first responders, did an amazing job rescuing my mom," said Yohannes.

The grandmother was trapped under the weight of the roof and tree limbs. She was extricated without serious injuries by fire crews.

"She just booked it inside. She made it just in time to be in another perfect spot," said Yohannes.

The family feels lucky their timing was slightly off. It may have been the thing that spared their lives.

"If dinner had been closer to being on time, we would have been all sitting down at the table, in very different spots," Yohannes added. "You could easily say what a disaster, but I feel like this is a second chance at everything."

Tree trimmers had to cut their day short without removing the bulk of debris. The heavy rain has made their job difficult to complete.