FORT WASHINGTON, Md. — Cleanup has been underway in parts of the DMV after severe storms pummeled through communities and knocked down trees and power lines.
Families who experienced close calls are feeling a sense of gratitude despite waking up to significant damage to their homes.
Patricia Pointer said her daughter-in-law and 5-year-old great-granddaughter were in the kitchen area of their home on Pendleton Street in Fort Washington when a large tree crashed on top around 5 p.m. on Wednesday.
"She was on her computer and she heard this boom sound and then couldn't really move," Pointer said. "She got hit in the back of her head and back."
Emergency crews pulled the woman through the bedroom window. The 5-year-old girl, who was also trapped, was rescued and walked away with no major injuries.
"Looking at the house, I'm just glad they're alive," Pointer said. "I'm very thankful to God they weren't seriously hurt."
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were activated throughout the afternoon, starting first around 3 p.m. in Frederick and Loudoun counties. By 5 p.m. additional Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were put in place for areas closer to Washington D.C., like Prince George's County, Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County and Montgomery County.
It was even earlier for people in Jefferson County, West Virginia, where Amber Rivas also had a close call. She was driving down Route 51 in Jefferson County, West Virginia, when power lines fell across the road. Her dashcam captured the whole thing. Rivas drove off the road to avoid getting hit by the power lines.
"Literally as the pole was going down I thought I was going to die," Rivas said.
Rivas said she hasn't been able to sleep because of the anxiety of living through the experience. While she's still shaken up, she's thankful because she knows she could've been killed.
"The EMS said if I was going any faster or slid in the other direction I would have hit the pole directly in front of me head-on," she said.
Rivas was going to her job but decided to drive home because of the storms. Even though the pole hit her car, it only had some scratches across the driver's side door.