The Giddens watched as winds splintered trees and ripped the power line from their house.
HAMILTON -- While watching the hail storm amid fierce winds Tuesday morning, Lisbeth Giddens saw the trees begin to buckle and called her husband to the window.
"Those trees were whipping around like flags," Willie Giddens Jr. said.
By the time the storm passed, six trees on their property on Crosswicks Hamilton Road were in splinters with branches strewn across the yard and a power line draped across the driveway.
The Giddens home appeared to be the hardest hit by the brief storm that hit around 6:30 a.m.
Patrick O'Hara, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, said they tracked a strong storm that swept through the Hamilton area packing hail, heavy rains and damaging winds.
The Giddens were stuck inside without power for part of the morning until utility workers arrived to secure the line and clean up debris.
"We were afraid to go outside of the house when the ground was wet," Willie Giddens Jr. said.
The Giddens aren't looking forward to paying for tree removal but they still feel fortunate. The falling timber missed both their house and cars by a matter of feet.
"It could always be worse," he said. "We're still alive."
Greg Wright may be reached at gwright@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregTheWright. Find NJ.com on Facebook.