Kansas City Firefighters Rescue Trapped Family

KANSAS CITY, Mo. --

Powerful thunderstorms pounded the Kansas City area Wednesday night, and some victims are counting their blessings.

Dozens of trees and power lines were knocked over on the city's east side. No serious injuries were reported.

Five children and three adults were inside a home in the 3000 block of Spruce Avenue when a tree crashed onto the roof of the porch and smashed it in.

"First was the echo -- it was loud. The whole house (was) full of noise," storm victim Cortez Moorman told KMBC.

Iesha Verge said she was worried about her children.

"Running around, crying and stuff. But I was, like, 'Oh my God, is that the roof?'" Verge said.

Neighbors called 911 and firefighters came to the rescue. Since the house had no back steps, the family was trapped inside.

"We couldn't go out the front door because there were wires on the porch," 10-year-old Demony Verge said.

Firefighters helped them escape through a side window.

"We were lucky," Iesha Verge said.

A few blocks away, a tree limb took a nosedive into a roof.

"It went straight through to the boys' bedroom," said Elizabeth Banks, the victim's grandmother. "It went in just like a bullet."

Christina Banksroe said she got a frantic call from her sister to get home.

"When she called me at work, she said she heard the thunder, and then boom -- it went in the house," Banksroe said.

The tree limb punctured the ceiling and ruined several bags of clothes of other items.

The Red Cross has stepped in to help both families.

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