Fundraiser for Co Tyrone couple whose home was damaged in Storm Éowyn passes £10K target

Tracy McMahon and her husband Tam were in bed at their Coalisland home when the roof was torn off and structural damage caused by the hurricane force winds.

Luckily no one was injured, but the couple had unfortunately failed to renew their house insurance.

Tracy told the Belfast News Letter: "We were in bed at 4.30am and we heard this thudding noise and we got up and then suddenly it went quiet.

“However, once another big gust of wind happened there was another big noise and that’s when we noticed the roof had came off at the front end of the house.

"We looked at the outside camera and we could see the fibre glass insulation on the ground, so we knew there had been damage to the roof.

"We moved into the kitchen and could more banging and thudding noises. We made sure to turn off the electric as we were worried that the water could hit the wiring and perhaps start a fire.”

As a result, Tracy's sister Charlene set-up a GoFundMe page to help with her sibling's plight with a £10,000 target and the community rallied around and showed their support by contributing to the fund.

That target was quickly reached and is now fast approaching £11,000.

The couple have expressed their thanks for the support.

"We are thankful for everyone’s support whether that’s through donating, sharing the page or just kind words in general,” Tracy continued.

"We are trying to get contractors sorted as we know there will be quite a lot of work to get the house sorted.

"My brother is currently keeping us at present until we get things finalised.

"Due to damage in general across the country, we realise it’s going to be difficult getting someone to carry out the repair works, so we plan to get the roof secured first and then sort the rest of the house when it is possible thereafter.”

The GoFundMe page can be found HERE