INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — This summer has brought storms that have caused damage across Northeast Ohio. David Grebe, who lives in Independence, is dealing with some of that damage from early Saturday morning weather, but he is simply grateful to be alive.
Grebe was sleeping when the storms rolled in around 4 a.m. Saturday morning. The storms themselves rolled out without consequence—or so he thought.
Around 5 a.m., Grebe awakened to a crashing sound and then instant pain.
"I heard a very loud noise that I thought was a bolt of lightning, and I felt pain in my head, and I thought I was struck by lightning," Grebe said. "I woke up screaming, and I found out I was struck by a tree which had uprooted in my backyard and come through the roof of my home."
A large tree from the backyard toppled into the home, tearing through the ceiling and wall and nearly on top of Grebe as he slept in his bed.
The tree narrowly missed the man, who only received some scrapes and bruises from being hit on the head by one of the branches. Grebe was checked out by emergency responders and cleared of any serious injury.
There's no denying the immense damage to Grebe's home. A gaping hole leaves his bedroom exposed to the elements. Insulation covers nearly every inch of space. He knows it's going to be a long process to mend the mess he was left with.
"I can see the sky when I'm in the bedroom, and there's rafters poking through the bedroom ceiling, and there are joists poking out of the wall," Grebe said. "There's plenty of damage."
While he deals with the damage, he feels lucky to be left with the mess—because he's also been left with his life.
"I'm amazed that I survived. I'm really amazed to still be alive. It's really bad luck to have a tree hit your house. It's really good luck to have a tree hit your house, and you don't die," he said.
As the work to repair the damage begins, Grebe says before any more severe weather can test his luck again, he won't be taking chances.
"There are big trees back there, and I am not—believe me—they're going to get evaluated now and cut down if need be, cause I'm not going to trust the luck again," he said.
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