A West Islip family narrowly escaped tragedy when a tree crashed through the roof of their house Tuesday.

"I really didn't know what happened," Tracy Chase said. "I thought it was an earthquake at first because the whole house shook."

Chase's 5-year-old daughter Katelyn entered her second-floor bedroom to find a toy moments before strong winds snapped the old, rotted tree in the backyard. Chase said she "grabbed the baby and got in the doorframe" as the ceiling came down.

Structural damage left the family without a place to sleep and the house might need to be leveled.