It was not until the light of morning that Leslie Johnson could see the full damage.

A tree had split during Monday night’s storm, sending one large branch onto the roof of her home in the 1800 block of Lewis Drive in Niles, creating a gash in the ceiling over her kitchen.

Another larger branch tore off a corner of her garage, allowing the sun to create shadows on the damaged sports utility vehicle inside.

“I honestly didn’t know what was going on,” said Johnson, who teaches fourth and fifth grade classes at St. Mary’s Catholic School.

Two waves of storms blew through the area Monday night, causing widespread power outages and damage throughout the Michiana area. Two people were reported dead in Indiana, but there were no reported casualties in Berrien or Cass counties in Michigan.

Johnson was sitting on her living room couch when the second storm hit shortly before midnight. She described hearing a “sickening crack and crunch” as the tree branches snapped and fell around her.

“The whole house shook. I thought the whole house was coming down,” she said.

Johnson grabbed her flashlight and assessed the damage.

“That’s when I saw the ceiling was cracked and it was raining in my kitchen,” she said. “I called my mom first and then 911 and I hunkered down in the bathroom until the firemen showed up.”

Johnson said she plans to stay with her mother, who lives in Buchanan, until the home is fixed.

“I feel extremely lucky. The house can be fixed, the garage can be fixed, the car can be fixed,” she said. “Those are all material possessions. I’m just glad I made it out safely.”

Johnson had two visitors Tuesday morning in Niles. Her mom and her boss, St. Mary’s Principal Sharon Gregorski.

“She (Sharon) asked if there was anything she could do for me,” Johnson said. “I told her if she wanted to bring me a Diet Pepsi I would be forever grateful. She brought me two two-liters.”