BRIDGETON, Mo. – A Bridgeton couple was displaced after storm damage on Sunday.

Gary and Kathy Linke have lived in their home since 1972, and this tree was a few years older than that. On Sunday evening, a storm produced a gust of severe straight-line winds, which brought a large tree down on their home and destroyed it.

The storm that produced the microburst came out of the east.

“That’s not normal. Because we face the southwest. Most of the storms come this direction and that came out this way,” Gary Linke said.

The storm uprooted a nearly 60-year-old red oak tree, sending the tree crashing into the couple’s home around 6:30 p.m.

“I could hear some banging and wind blowing and some rain a little bit. And then I heard this crash. I was in the basement and couldn’t figure out what happened. I thought maybe my wife fell or something because she’s in a wheelchair,” Linke said.

But the crash was the massive tree into the main living area of their home.

“From the double door, from that door past the window, the whole ceiling is collapsed into the room,” he said.

The tree collapsed during dinner, meaning the Linkes were in other parts of their home at the time.

“Normally, we would have been in that room,” Linke said. “We usually eat our meals in there. Watching TV and, I don’t know, we were both doing something and time got away.”

Their sons moved quickly to help them secure their belongings from the elements. As for Gary and Kathy, they’ve got a hotel room down the road. They’re thankful for the help of their neighbors and community for making their temporary move a bit easier.

“We’re staying at the Drury in St. Charles. Their staff is really good,” Linke said.

Knowing that severe weather has displaced a lot of St. Louisans this year.

“I feel a lot of empathy for people in the city. Because this is nothing compared to what they’ve been through,” Linke said.

Gary and Kathy had a lot of canned goods stocked up that they are donating to a food pantry, still giving to others despite their loss.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help cover their costs.