High winds from Nicholas knocks tree through Baytown widow's home
BAYTOWN, Texas - In Baytown, Nicholas left scattered damage. The power went out there around 5 a.m. but an hour before that, Nicholas went barging into at least one Baytown home.
"All of a sudden there was a huge crash. It was like a huge boulder that fell on something and all this glass started breaking," explains Baytown Resident Marie Davis.
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It was a tree in Davis’ backyard that came smashing through her house.
"Then water started coming through my ceiling. It has broken pipes and wiring is torn, and it has gone through the ceiling in my dining area, and of course, there’s water all over the floors," Davis adds.
Many in her area are left without power.
"My ice cream is melting," says resident David Vaughan and he’s not happy to hear CenterPoint saying some may be without electricity up to a week. "That ain’t good. I hope that’s not true. It’s real inconvenient. I can’t watch FOX 26 News," Vaughan smiles.
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The Monmouth Drive exit off I-10 had to be shut down due to street flooding. Some front yards were left with standing water, and a trampoline we saw along a residential road, apparently hopped the fence and ended up crumpled on its side in a field.
But few seem to have fared as Mrs. Davis. This is the third time her house has been hit. Hurricane Alicia, Ike, now Nicholas, all toppled trees onto it. Harvey left eight inches of water inside, but that isn’t what she chooses to remember from that storm. It was the last few days of her husband’s life and he came home from hospice.
"He got to come home for 5 days, but he got to come home," says Davis.
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The old oak tree that crashed through her house is massive. It was there in her yard more than 50 years ago when Mrs. Davis and her husband moved in. She says it is heartbreaking for her to see her home damaged like this, but she’s grateful she wasn’t injured.
"What are you going to do? You can not keep yourself attached to material things. I refuse to do it. I’m sorry. I won’t smoke a cigarette. I will not be attached to that. I won’t overeat and I won’t over drink. Nothing’s going to control me. I have insurance and my home can be fixed," smiles Mrs. Davis.