When dark storm clouds began to roll through the region on Thursday, Maxine Forrest and her husband, David, knew that their family home in Tanunda was going to be hit hard.
From strong winds, rain and hail, Maxine’s home was under threat when she noticed her ceiling had collapsed near the dining area, and water began to seep through the downlights just after midday.
Maxine told The Leader she felt like the storm hit her home like a cyclone.
“It was just unbelievable,” she added.
“When the storm first began, we were in the kitchen and it just kept getting so dark.
“The next thing I knew the hailstones came down and they were like the size of cherries.”
There are reports that more than 6,000 homes were without power with 2,500 of those in the Adelaide Hills.
Several schools across the state were also closed, including Faith Lutheran College, Tanunda.
Worried about her garden, Maxine went outside to see hail stones in her garden beds, whilst her husband checked their water tank and noticed it was overflowing.
“David was trying to clear the storm water drains, but the ice was so thick,” Maxine said.
“We came inside and it was coming through our downlights.
“We got buckets and towels from our neighbour and we were filling the buckets up quickly.
“The ceiling didn’t collapse straight away, the hailstones naturally melted on the roof.
“It then melted through our insulation and that’s when we were standing there and it just collapsed.
“I just burst into tears and I got such a shock.”
At first, Maxine said the disaster didn’t bother her, but as she watched the ceiling slowly deteriorate, she knew it was much worse.
“The fire brigade came from Gawler to assess it and they said it was the worst they had seen from the storm,” she added.
“We then called the SES and we had been waiting awhile on the phone to our insurance company.
“I really didn’t expect so much of the ceiling to collapse.
“Then once the storm cleared, we noticed large holes in our pergola roof from the hail stones.”
Unfortunately, Maxine was notified by the SES that the damage was too extensive and unsafe to live in.
“I had just come out of hospital the day before so I was just trying to get over that, and now this happens,” Maxine told The Leader.
“Although I know there are others that are far worse off, I am glad we didn’t get hurt.”