Gresham house split in half during storm
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PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) — A Gresham couple said they are full of mixed emotions and adrenaline after last weekend’s storm blew a tree on top of their house Saturday. The tree ended up splitting the home in half and landed just feet from where Cason and Philip Wolcott were sitting shortly after eating lunch.
“We’re watching the trees just kind of swaying and all of a sudden, Philip starts yelling, ‘It’s us, it’s us, it’s us,’ and we watch the tree crack and shift and then start falling,” Cason said, describing the moment they realized a 150-foot tree was headed straight towards their kitchen. She said they were just five feet from where the trunk landed.
Philip said it happened in slow motion, and he was just hoping the tree wouldn’t kill them.
“We came very close to being at least severely injured,” Philip said.
Thankfully, Cason, Philip, their two dogs, and cat all made it out safely.
“Everything happened the way it was supposed to happen,” Cason said. “It just sucks.”
Their car was totaled, and they’re currently working with insurance to learn what can be salvaged of the house.
“Can’t quite feel like it’s real yet,” Philip said. “We’ve got a lot of work to rebuild, hopefully, we can.”
“It’s all of the emotions all at once. We’re happy to be alive; we’re sad that we don’t have a house anymore,” Cason described. “Every time I come back my adrenaline starts up again because I remember the noises and what happened.”
Cason said this isn’t the first winter their street has seen trees fall, and she hopes their neighbors heed that warning before freezing rain returns this week.
“Be prepared. Get stuff together before it happens. And watch. Pay attention,” Cason advised. “You just don’t think it’s going to happen to you until it cuts your house in half.”
