Chesapeake Beach family displaced after tree crashes onto home

CHESAPEAKE BEACH, Md. - A family is out of their home after a large tree fell on it in Chesapeake Beach during Thursday's rainstorm.

The family was inside of the house as the tree came crashing down and left behind a pile of rubble, wood and their precious belongings.

"We were just sitting in the house last night. I was lying on the couch and all of the sudden we heard this big growl - like thunder," said Jennifer Poirier. "And all of the sudden, I look up and the ceiling is collapsing on me, and I see the tree so I laid on the floor between my couch and the coffee table."

Poirier was stuck.

"All of the sudden, the ceiling is there and I'm like 'Okay!' she said. "My daughter came running out of the bedroom and she is just like -- there is a tree in the living room. She couldn't get to me. She was freaking out and just trying to find me, and I'm like, 'No, get out of the house!'"

This all happened shortly after 9 p.m. just moments after the heavy storm hit.

Pinned beneath the rubble, a neighbor ultimately found Poirier thanks to a light on her cell phone.

Poirier is thankful to be okay after the scary incident.

"I'm glad I'm alive," she said. "Everything else can be replaced."

What should residents do to protect themselves from this as more severe storms arrive during the summer months?

"What homeowners and residents ought to do is try to contact a certified arborist," said Jerry Tasker, the owner of Calvert County Tree Experts.

He said an evaluation, often free of charge, could prevent this from happening to you.