この前の嵐で数軒の家屋が被害を受けた。

this (something or someone close to the speaker (including the speaker), or ideas expressed by the speaker)

ago; before (some event); previously; (minutes) to (the hour); in front (of); before (e.g. the house); head (of a line); front (e.g. of a bus); fore part; in the presence of; helping; portion; privates; private parts

indicates possessive; nominalizes verbs and adjectives; substitutes for "ga" in subordinate phrases; (at sentence-end, falling tone) indicates a confident conclusion; (at sentence-end) indicates emotional emphasis; (at sentence-end, rising tone) indicates question

storm; tempest; difficulty; trouble

indicates location of action; at; in; indicates time of action; indicates means of action; cause of effect; by; and then; so; indicates continuing action; indicates certainty, emphasis, etc.

counter for buildings (esp. houses); suffix for a pen name, stage name, etc.

house; building

indicates sentence subject (occasionally object); indicates possessive (esp. in literary expressions); but; however; still; and

(suffering) damage; injury; harm

indicates direct object of action; indicates subject of causative expression; indicates an area traversed; indicates time (period) over which action takes place; indicates point of departure or separation of action; indicates object of desire, like, hate, etc.

to receive; to get; to catch (e.g. a ball); to be struck by (wind, waves, sunlight, etc.); to sustain (damage); to incur (a loss); to suffer (an injury); to feel (influence); to undergo (e.g. surgery); to take (a test); to accept (a challenge); to be given (e.g. life, talent); to follow; to succeed; to be descended from; to face (south, etc.); to be modified by; to obtain (a pawned item, etc.) by paying a fee; to be well-received; to become popular; to go down well