A large tree crashed into a Louisville woman’s home after a severe storm ripped through her city.
Nadiya Raheem only suffered a fractured leg as the tree smashed through her living room window and pinned her down on her couch.
Before the rain started to pour on Friday, March 31, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a State of Emergency based on weather reports. The storm system, consisting of wind gusts and isolated tornadoes, was forecast to sweep his state and leave some areas in “significant danger,” WHAS 11 reported.
“This is the worst forecast I’ve seen as governor. I am declaring a state of emergency so that we can be prepared,” Beshear said.
According to the Storm Prediction Center, a Level 5 out of 5 “high risk” warning was issued on Friday regarding the approaching storm. Level 5 is the highest risk level a storm can rank on its metric.
Raheem said she was relaxed in her home on the couch watching TV when lightning struck a tree outside, and it crashed into her residence, WAVE 3 reported.
“It was raining and a bolt of lightning struck a tree, and it fell in my living room and came through my window. I was trapped in my living room,” she recalled.
The large tree not only damaged her home but also smashed three cars that were between where the tree was rooted across the street and the house.
A tree branch landed on her right leg and pinned her on her sofa.
“I was praying to myself, ‘Lord let me get out of here to get me some help,’” Raheem said, adding it was “scary” and “like something in a movie.”
Despite being terrified, she quickly thought to call 911 for emergency support.
Somehow, she was able to secure herself and crawl to a safe place where first responders could easily find her.
“I had to try to roll up from underneath the tree because I was pushed up in-between the tree,” Raheem recalled before detailing how she released herself from under the tree to find her way to the backdoor.
“I could not get out my front door because it was covered in tree limbs,” she explained.
Medical professionals were able to care for Raheem, placing a brace on her fractured leg.
Raheem was sheltered in her home when the storm hit, but she was not in the safest place in her house.
According to Jody Meinman, the executive director of Louisville Metro Emergency Services, residents were advised to take certain precautions when the storm was pending.
One of those was to identify a place in the house, like a basement, storm cellar, or an interior room on the lowest floor level with no windows, to shelter safely from the harsh winds and potential damages caused by the storm.
The living room Raheem was in had windows, placing her in danger.
Because her house is so damaged by the storm, the home has been deemed unsafe for her to return, the station reported.
The Red Cross provided temporary shelter for her to stay until April 3.
Despite this, she is grateful to be alive.
“I’m totally grateful God spared me at the end of the day. I’m glad for is that I’m alive and here,” she said.
The March Madness/ April Fool’s storm system spanned several states throughout the South and the Midwest. CNN reported in a matter of 24 hours, the powerful storms left hundreds of thousands of people without power and tragically claimed the lives of three people.
