CULLMAN, Ala. – A local family is left clinging to threads of normalcy after an intense lightning strike devastated their home.
On Friday night, Sept. 13, the Winstead family was preparing for a family favorite – a movie night on the couch. Jenna Winstead, a home-health nurse on maternity Leave, her husband Trent Winstead, a retired and disabled Marine veteran, and their three children, 10-year-old Owen, 4-year-old Charlie and 1-month-old Holden and the family dogs Clara and Chloe were snuggling in for the night when a freak act of nature set the family off course.
Over the weekend the Winsteads’ home was damaged, Hurricane Francine brought dangerous winds and storms along with flash flooding to the Cullman area. In booming thunder and flashing lightning, the Winsteads took precautions to weather the storm when a loud explosion sounded in the home.
“The power went out and we thought, “Well, a transformer was hit,’” shared Jenna Winstead. The family decided to pack up and head to a family member’s house because they believed they were in a power outage. “When we went to leave, we noticed the giant hole in the front of the house.”
After successfully dropping their children off at a safe place, the couple was able to assess the damage to their home. Winstead said the strike hit the home in the attic and traveled through the home’s electrical system. Thermostats and the home’s air conditioning unit were critically damaged, so much so that the strike to the home was the instigating factor in the blown transformer.
“We don’t know the extent of electrical damage because insurance is so backed up they haven’t gotten to us yet, but we can’t live there,” she said.
The family is currently waiting for estimates associated with repairing their home. At the very least, the home will need a new roof and new air conditioning unit; family and friends have created a Meal Train to support the family. Donations can be made directly to the Winsteads by using Venmo (Jenna-Hudson-26), Cash App ($jhudson2020), PayPal (Jenna.hudson30@gmail.com) or by signing up online at www.mealtrain.com/trains/ed8eql?.
Copyright 2024 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
