ROCKY MOUNT, Va. (WDBJ) – In just a few minutes, Brittany Smith’s world came crashing down.
In the first minute, she was watching TV with her husband on a Wednesday night after work. The second minute, they heard high winds just outside the front door. And the third minute, she jumped off the couch as a tree fell through her roof right behind her.
Many of us can recall the cold, fast winds last week, but it’s a night Smith will never forget.
“I was sitting there, on that rocking couch,” she said, pointing inside her home.
Smith said she got an alert on her phone warning her about high winds and trees falling, but never expected something like this to happen to her.
“I didn’t know at first it was a tree. Everything came crashing down,” said Smith. “Insulation, the roof, it was terrifying. One of those situations that you don’t know how you’re going to react until you’re in it.”
Almost immediately, neighbors and law enforcement came to help.
Smith, her husband, and all four pets made it out safely.
“The next morning, I felt the sky was bluer. I know that sounds cliche and I really, really thought it was a brighter, more deep blue than this, this blue that you see now,” said Smith. “[It] makes me feel appreciative of what I have. We don’t have a lot, but we are OK.”
Several days later, it still isn’t safe for Smith to go back into the house to get her belongings.
But luckily, she has people looking out for her. Smith went to Magnolia Closet in Rocky Mount, where staff helped make sure she doesn’t go cold this winter.
“It was like I was in a movie. She just kept bringing me clothes to try on and people had brought donations to her because they knew I was going to meet with her,” said Smith.
For now, the Smiths are staying with family. But she’s looking forward to finding a new home in the community that has helped her get back on her feet after losing so much.
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