When Chris Thompson left his New Iberia home Tuesday morning all was well.

When Thompson re-turned from dropping his sister Angela Thompson off at work, around 9 a.m., an enormous live oak tree had fallen on the garage where his car would have been parked had it not been for the “grace of God,” he said.

The tree was hit by lightning during the heavy rains that passed through the Teche Area Monday afternoon.

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The storm also knocked out power for 4,000 Iberia Parish residents and destroyed 10 transformers, according to official reports.

Darryl Thompson, who lives with his brother Chris and sister Angela, said he heard loud thunder Monday evening but never imagined lightning had struck near his home.

Chris Thompson said his neighbors reported hearing a loud noise during the showers but never noticed the huge crack in the 58-year-old tree that Thompson’s grandfather, Harold, planted to commemorate his first grandson’s birth. Chris Thomp-son turns 59 this year.

It’s been a year of tragedy for the Thompson family, Chris Thompson said.

“It just never seems to end for us,” he said.

 His mother and sister-in-law died recently and another family relative was injured in an automobile crash.

The garage and utility shed that lay under the oak tree Tuesday also was destroyed during Hur-ricane Gustav.

“It had a brand new roof, brand new floors,” Chris Thompson said about repairs made after the hurricane.

Although the siblings have insurance coverage on the property, in the wake of Hurricane Gustav, reimbursements were not enough to cover the repair costs. Chris Thompson said he is unsure if his family will face the same outcome this time around and is hopeful family and friends will come and offer assistance removing the tree.

All in all, Thompson said he feels pretty lucky that the situation was not worse. Another 5 feet and the tree would have fallen onto the house or an hour earlier and the siblings might be without transportation.