SPRING VALLEY, Calif. — A Spring Valley family is recounting anxious moments from nearly two weeks ago when parts of a massive tree crashed into their home during the Christmas Eve windstorm that downed hundreds of trees across San Diego County.
Kenneth Erwin was picking up trash bins that had been blown over by strong winds in the back of his Canyonview Court home when disaster struck.
"I hear a crash. The house shakes. I'm about a foot away, and the awning comes tumbling down," Erwin said.
Not realizing what had happened, Erwin raced into the home where his wife was at the top of the stairs.
"She said a tree actually hit the house. I looked up, saw the huge holes in my living room, and at the top of the stair, branches were poking through like a knife," Erwin said.
Erwin says two branches from a tree approximately 70 feet tall had crashed into the home. One destroyed the awning and jutted into the living room. A larger branch fell onto the roof, slamming into the master bedroom and bathroom, coming within a foot of where his wife had been standing.
"One of the branches came right through the top of the stairs. She came close to being impaled by the tree," Erwin said.
The couple's 14-year-old daughter was not home at the time.
"I'm grateful we are still here. It could have been a lot worse, a lot worse," Erwin said.
On that same day in City Heights, the winds did turn deadly when a tree struck and killed a 61-year-old man on a sidewalk. Across the county, winds downed hundreds of trees.
The ordeal remains an ongoing nightmare for the grateful Erwin family.
"It took out the attic and ceiling. All that spread asbestos all over the house. All of that, aside from a few exceptions, has to be thrown away," Erwin said.
Erwin, who has been renting the home for about five years, said his insurance company told him his coverage doesn't include much for temporary housing. For now, the family is staying with relatives.
“When it comes to personal items, we’ll get money eventually. It will be months down the road and a fraction of the money we put into it. We really just have to rebuild our whole lives. It's almost like the whole house burned down," Erwin said.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the family with living and other expenses.
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