Mount Pleasant couple’s Christmas Day shock after freak storm

A Mount Pleasant couple received quite a shock when they walked outside their home on Christmas Day and saw one of the tree in their front yarn had fallen onto the front of their property during a freak storm.

Tony and Jan Bell from Mount Pleasant got a shock on Christmas Day when they went outside after a freak storm and saw a tree in their front yarn had fallen onto their house. Picture: Janessa Ekert

A Mount Pleasant couple received quite a shock when they walked outside their home on Christmas Day and saw one of the tree in their front yarn had fallen onto the front of their property during a freak storm that hit the region.

Tony and Jan Bell had been home at the Flors Ave house when the incident occurred on Monday morning but the couple said they did not hear a thing.

“We didn’t event know that it happened until we looked out the front after the storm had gone,” Mr Bell said.

“We didn’t hear any crash, bangs or anything.”

The wild weather set in just before 10am prompting the Bureau of Meteorology to put out a severe storm warning from Sarina to Ayr.

Tony and Jan Bell from Mount Pleasant got a shock on Christmas Day when they went outside after a freak storm and saw a tree in their front yarn had fallen onto their house. Picture: Janessa Ekert

Wind gusts up to 93km/h were recorded at Mackay airport at 10.36am on Monday as rain lashed the region with the storm downing trees and minor flash flooding.

Mr Bell said wind was causing sideways rain in Mount Pleasant.

The large tree, which split at the base, fell towards the front of the couple’s property with luckily only part of the branches encroaching on the roof.

Wind gusts up to 93km/h were recorded at Mackay airport at 10.36am on Monday. Picture: Janessa Ekert

“I don’t think it’s done too much damage, so it’s just a matter of getting rid of it now,” Mr Bell said.

“I said to Jan, oh we better look out the front the tree’s fallen over.

“It was a bit of a shock,” Mrs Bell said.

After the storm the couple had been due at the home of family for Christmas Day celebrations “so we couldn’t do much”, she said.

The couple had lived in the area for 30 years and this was only the second time a tree had fallen down in their property. Picture: Janessa Ekert

The couple had lived in the area for 30 years and this was only the second time a tree had fallen down in their property.

“The gumtree in the backyard once,” Mrs Bell said.

“We were lucky, it hit the neighbour’s house not ours,” Mr Bell added.

Hours later the state’s south was smashed by a powerful flash storm that destroyed homes, brought large trees down and left tens of thousands without power.

A 59-year-old Gold Coast woman was tragically killed about 9.30pm Christmas night by a falling tree during the deadly event.