Lowcountry family displaced after tree falls on home during storm

BEAUFORT COUNTY, S.C.. (WTOC) - One Lowcountry family is without a home following Sunday night’s storm.

Ellis Davis was getting ready for his first day of a new job as the storm raged.

“As the wind was getting louder the tree fell over and just went down and slammed into the house,” Davis said.

There wasn’t much time to think, but his priorities were clear.

“First thing I thought of was the safety of my family.”

Davis knew all six of them needed to get out, but doors weren’t an option.

“This is the main entrance of my home right here. You can see where the tree came all the side.”

The tree had blocked both entrances. Eventually they all got out safely through a window, and now Davis has time to think back on how it happened.

“That wind was blowing hard, then it started shaking everything, and when the wind started shaking everything it uprooted the tree... so that’s a big oak tree so it uprooted that... that’s pretty strong,” Davis said.

The tree landed in between the kitchen and living room, something Davis never thought he’d say about his home.

“You hear about it, that trees coming down and falling on people’s houses and everything else... but to experience it yourself it’s kind of frightening.”

While nobody expects this, Davis said there’s nothing to do now, but move forward. Starting with a simple retrieval.

“Just getting some papers out and letting it all go, then we’ll start all over someplace else,” he said.

It seems their community won’t let them do that empty handed though.

“It’s a slow process but we got a lot of help starting to come out, but more we’d be even grateful you know. Don’t know how long it’s going to be until we find another place or get things together back on our feet.”

With the family’s life uprooted just at the start of the year, Ellis stays optimistic, saying it can only get better from here.

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