Alfred’s blow: ‘There was an almighty crash’

Jo and Warren Stevens have been overwhelmed with offers of help since their Joyner home was crushed by a large gum tree at the height of severe weather caused by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred on Saturday night.

They took Moreton Daily through the damage today and shared their story of survival. See the photos at the end of this story.

The couple said they were going “a little bit stir crazy after being locked up for two days” and decided to catch up with some friends for dinner on Saturday night when they received a call from their son.

He was at Clear Mountain, where trees and powerlines had started to come down, and had phone to say he wouldn’t risk driving home.

Jo and Warren decided to head home from Albany Creek about 8pm and noticed the wind had picked up and there were a few trees across the roads.

They arrived home and were about to put their 12-year-old dog out in the back entertainment area when they heard a loud bang about 10.46pm.

“Straight away you could feel it and you knew it was our house. I went outside and said, ‘wow, there’s a 35m gum tree in our house’,” Warren recalls.

From what they could see, the tree had only taken out their entertainment area.

After a little while, water started leaking through joins in the ceiling. They raced around to catch it in buckets and also did what they could to retrieve precious photos on the walls and photo albums from a cupboard.

“We were thinking there must have been a few tiles that had come off. We didn’t realise that half the roof had gone,” Jo says.

About one hour later, the whole roof caved in.

“There was an almighty crash and that’s when I got scared,” Jo says.

She had been in that part of the house, moments before, and had taken items into one of the bedrooms when it happened.

“It was an absolute nightmare. We had been walking underneath it for the past hour. It could have been one thousand times worse,” she recalls.

“We’re just so lucky that we weren’t underneath it.”

They stayed at a neighbour’s house that night and have now arranged accommodation, via their insurance company, until the end of March.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen after that, to be honest,” Jo says.

“I have to admit, yesterday was my worst day. I was so emotional yesterday and I think overwhelmed … because the mould is starting to come in … having to think about what I want to keep and don’t want to keep was doing my head in yesterday.

“I was an emotional wreck.”

Insurance assessors have told them it could take months to repair.

The tree and rain have destroyed the kitchen/living area, dining area, loungeroom and two bedrooms in their four-bedroom house.

“Three-quarters of the house is gone,” Jo says.

Offers of help have flowed in, since news spread of the damage, but accepting them doesn’t come easily to Jo and Warren.

“I don’t know how to ask for help. So many people have asked me what can they do. I think yesterday I realised … I am a very strong person and I don’t like asking for help but I’m going to need help,” she says.

Jo is the co-founder of Ladies Who Long Lunch with Kirsty Fields, which hosts networking events in Brisbane and on the Redcliffe Peninsula.

Members have already rallied, offering to help with food or whatever she needs.