By Marc Liverman

SYLVA, North Carolina (WLOS) -- A Sylva woman is sharing her story after a massive tree came crashing down on her home during a powerful thunderstorm Thursday afternoon.

That woman, Autumn Richards, said she and five of her family members, including her six-year-old granddaughter, were all inside their home on Chickadee Lane when it happened.

Richards explained that they were all in separate parts of the home when the tree came down.

“I felt it in the floor and the lights flickered twice. Then a loud crash. I thought the whole house was gone. I came running out, screaming for my granddaughter and just the trees were there. Water was pouring in, it was dark. There was glass everywhere,” Richards said.

Adrenaline was pumping as family members called out to each other from inside. Within just a few minutes, Richards said everyone inside was accounted for.

The nightmare didn’t end there. The family realized the tree damage trapped them all inside.

After Richards said the family called out for help, the fire department got to the scene and freed them all.

“We were stuck in there until the fire department got here and cut us out. Cut the trees out of the way, both entrances were blocked by the trees and there was water and stuff just pouring down on us. We were worried that there was a fire,” Richards said.

Firefighters told the woman that the home is a total loss. Now, almost everything to her name is gone.

“We’re homeless now,” Richards said.

Despite that, she said she has a lot to be thankful for because no one was hurt.

“There's always a silver lining ‘cause God is good. He watches over us,” Richards said.

There's a GoFundMe to help Richards and her family with everything they lost. You can click here to donate.

The storm that hit northern Jackson County around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday towered to over 50,000 feet in height, chief meteorologist Jason Boyer adds.

Boyer said it wasn't considered a severe thunderstorm, so the National Weather Service didn't send out a warning. However, 40 to 50 mph wind gusts are enough to knock down trees, especially weak ones.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.