Crews begin cleanup after Friday night storm

GALENA PARK, Texas - Crews were out clearing the streets and starting repairs Saturday morning in places where heavy winds and rain damaged homes.

Strong winds knocked over an enormous pine tree in The Woodlands, breaking up concrete and causing the tree to puncture the roof of a home.

“I heard a big crashing sound,” says homeowner Benjamin Bailey.

Moments before, he was inside with his wife and infant daughter when he heard the winds rising.

"That’s when the tree came into our house, through the kitchen, water pouring everywhere,” he adds. “Absolutely devastating.”

The uprooted tree caused a gas leak, but the family is okay.

Neighbors in the area say they feel lucky to only have to deal with debris and fix downed fences.

“Certainly there will be some work to do here and fix,” says Patrick Buzzini. "But most importantly, the damage is material and nothing substantial, and we are all good,” he says.

More than 40 miles away, the east side of Houston also couldn’t dodge the storm.

"All we heard was a big boom, and we jumped up to get the kids out of their room to make sure they were safe,” says resident Jeff Mcneil.

Crews were breaking down fallen trees while residents tried to recover from their homes shaking in the middle of the night.

"We felt everything and we were like, 'What is going on?'” says Sofia Juarez. "It happened like quick, like in 30 seconds.”

A friend who was waiting out the storm at her home woke up to find their car smashed by fallen trees in the driveway.

Juarez also points out a neighbor’s carport is missing, but there is evidence of it in scattered pieces throughout the neighborhood.

She and her family are using chainsaws to try to free the trapped car.

Meanwhile, Center Point Energy crews are removing branches and limbs from affected power lines.

The company says it will trim or cut trees in order to restore power, but it is asking customers to make arrangements to remove debris.