Before and after pictures show extent of damage from Wednesday’s storm in southern Manitoba

As powerful wind began to rip trees out on Cathy Wright’s property all she could do was watch and hope she wouldn’t be hurt.

“It’s hard to explain how you felt,” Wright said, who estimates thousands of trees were blown down.

Wright lives just north of Haywood, Manitoba. It is in the same area Environment Canada confirmed a tornado touched down.

Her family had bought a drone a few days before the storm and took photos of the property from above. They sent it up again to capture the aftermath.

She has lived on the property since 1985 and has never witnessed a storm as powerful as the one Wednesday evening.

RELATED: Tornado touches down in Long Plain First Nation, causes major damage

“If there was a really strong wind you would get one or two trees but never like this,” she said. “It took them right from the roots.”

Wright said she didn’t feel safe going into the tiny crawl space in her home or hiding in the bath tub on the second floor.

“We stayed in the middle of the house and watched the trees fall down,” Wright told Global News. She said she doesn’t know how her home and other buildings managed to escape damage.

RELATED: Tornado that hit Long Plain First Nation given preliminary rating

“We were grateful,” she said. “That night I thought at least I have a bed to go to, I have a house and a bed.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We were grateful," she said. "That night I thought at least I have a bed to go to, I have a house and a bed."

The family is now in the process of cleaning the trees up so they don’t become a fire hazard.

Environment Canada estimates the wind in Wright’s area could’ve reached speeds upwards of 180 kilometres an hour.

The storm severely damaged several homes in Long Plain First Nation, around 15 minutes away Wright’s property.