A FAMILY of four is lucky to be alive after a freak storm destroyed their Rathdowney home early on Sunday evening.

Stephen and Tracy Craven and their children Kimberley Howard, 15, and Joel Howard, 13, had just had a shower and were getting dressed when the storm hit almost without warning.

All four had to dive for cover as the large steel shed they had been living in while renovating the original 130-year-old home on their 141 acre property disintegrated around them.

With just seconds to react, Tracy and Kimberley cowered in a wooden wardrobe, Joel sought refuge under his bed, while Steve got the shock of his life when the shower he was in literally exploded around him.

Miraculously all four escaped injury, but according to Ms Craven all were “shocked beyond description”.

Amazingly other than superficial damage to a neighbour’s property and the downing of trees and fences in nearby Rathdowney township, the Craven’s property bore the full brunt of the storm.

As well as destroying the cyclone rated steel shed the family called home, the storm also tore off the roof and caused major structural damage to the old home the family was in the process of renovating.

Mr Craven said he feared his family had been killed in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

“I had just turned the water off in the shower and pulled the towel off the towel rack when the whole place exploded,” he said.

“At first I couldn’t get the door open, but when I did I went around the corner and there was nothing there - the place was gone.

“I couldn’t see anyone, the wind was still blowing, there was hail and I was yelling out to the kids and Tracy but no-one was replying. I just thought the worst, I really thought they were all gone.

“But then the wind died down and Tracy yelled out ‘we are here’ and there they were hiding in the wardrobe. It was a good outcome in the end, but it was pretty frightening. The look on Tracy and the kids’ faces when they came out is something I will never forget, they were absolutely white.”

The storm hit with such ferocity that structural steel girders and beams were twisted beyond recognition, much of the roof was blown at least 200 metres away, roofing iron was wrapped around a nearby tree five metres off the ground, power poles were snapped off at ground level  and furniture was splintered.

After initially hitting Rathdowney, the storm basically followed the route of Mt Lindesay Highway before the twister unleashing its full force on the Craven property.

“It was the most horrific experience of our lives,” Ms Craven said.

“It was so loud we couldn’t even hear each other talk, all I could hear was the kids screaming hysterically.

“It was all over in three or four minutes and the whole place was gone. I just can’t believe that we are alive, especially now looking at the damage done to the place. We are all numb with shock.”

Witnesses said the storm clouds were grey-green in colour and that the destructive eye of the storm looked like a twister tornado.

Fortunately the Craven’s had the shed and all its contents insured, with insurance expected to pay for temporary accommodation until a new home can be built.

In the aftermath of the storm five SES units from Beaudesert and Boonah, police, the local rural fire brigade and Ergon Electricity descended on the area to provide assistance to residents.

Meanwhile, Scenic Rim Regional Council will open the Rathdowney waste transfer station today (Wednesday) for residents to be able to dispose of any green waste collected in the wake of the storm.

- Gary Corbett