Jul 8, 2009 7:06 pm US/Eastern
Winter In July Now? Another Hail Storm Hits Region
Streets Covered With Snow-Like Hail; Winds Topple Trees, Power Lines
Residents Caught Off Guard By Winter-Like Storm In July
Reporting
Jay Dow
YONKERS (CBS) ―
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CBS 2's Jay Dow was live in Yonkers Wednesday morning assessing the damage done by a winter-like storm that ripped through the Westchester County area, dropping dime-sized hail and toppling trees.
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The streets in Yonkers were covered in dime-sized hail after a powerful summer storm ripped through Westchester County.
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There is nothing wrong with your eyes. That's a street in Yonkers after a winter-like storm ripped through the area, dumping dime-sized hail and downing trees. All this in July!
CBS
A violent storm system cut a path of destruction through parts of the tri-state area Tuesday night, leaving what appeared to be a winter wonderland on steroids in its path as massive piles of hail covered streets and lawns, along with overturned trees and debris.
Yonkers was among the hardest hit communities. Fire Commissioner Anthony Pigano called the storm damage some of the worst he'd ever seen.
"Major, major property damage. Million dollar homes destroyed," he told CBS 2. "Devastated by a storm that lasted minutes, 15-20 minutes the most."
Peggy O'Neill was in her bathroom -- now a disaster zone -- just moments before a huge tree crashed through her roof.
"I went into the bathroom to close the window and then the hail was hitting the window so hard, that I ran down the steps, I got frightened," she said. "And then the trees came down."
While it may be the heart of summer, the hail-blanketed roadways made it look more like winter. The dime-sized hail piled up enough to look like a July snow storm hit the region, early morning travel treacherous. The aftermath of the storm became more visible as day broke.
It was very visible to Yonkers resident Mario Castaldo, who had five feet of hail fill his basement.
"They said, three, four, [then] five feet! I said, 'Are you kidding me?'" Castaldo said.
Just down the street, another home had several feet of hail fill their garage as well.
The large hail also covered roads and rooftops in Hillsdale, N.J., while dangerous winds ripped down trees and power lines in Westchester as 17,000 people lost power.
The storm tore through the northwestern section of Yonkers at around 11:30 p.m. and continued into the early morning.
After several hours, drivers were still trying to navigate their way through a couple of inches of hail on the ground.
"Where do I go from here?" Miguel, a concerned motorist, asked as dense fog limited visibility to just a few feet.
Yonkers resident Melinda Roberts took photos as the storm was slamming her home.
"We had really severe thunder and lightening right over the house," Roberts said. "It was very intense thunder."
By early Wednesday the sun had burned off most of the fog. Only then did residents get a better appreciation for the extent of the damage. Shredded tree leaves were scattered everywhere, branches littered the streets and huge trees were toppled over.
Many houses, including the Hudson Terrace house of Yonkers Department of Public Works Commissioner John Liszewski, also suffered significant damage.
"We were a victim of the storm as well as many other people in the city," Liszewski said. "First it started to lightening, and then the wind, and then the hail. And when we realized what was going on I said to my wife we need to get into the basement. And as we were going into the basement, the tree branch came in through the kitchen and blew out the glass."
But Liszewski's job is far from over. His department is responsible for fully cleaning up the mess.
"What's ahead is a major cleanup," Liszewski said, referring to the live wires and fallen trees still on the streets. "It's a very dangerous situation out there, and we're urging caution for everybody."
Meanwhile, in Hillsdale, homeowners were also clearing out from under the brush. Trees were pulled out of the ground and telephone poles were snapped, falling onto homes and cars and causing extensive damage.
Walley and Billy Wang were in their parents' home watching TV when a huge oak tree came crashing on top of the roof, shattering windows.
"Once it hit it just shattered the window and put two holes in the house. I just reacted and got some buckets," Walley told CBS 2.
Another tree crushed a shed next door that belongs to the American Legion. The Wangs had seconds to react to what they say sounded like a freight train coming through.
"You're kind of frozen, it's like you don't know what going on, you're shocked," said Billy Wang. "We're all thankful to God that we all made it out OK, no one was hurt.
There are numerous down wires across town, making cleanup a challenge. Kevin Doyle of Ornamental Tree Care has worked many storms, and had a hunch as to what happened.
"This is more like a straight line winds, not a tornado. Tornados twist the trees, straight line winds push the tress over," he said.
Throughout the day, many neighbors in Hillsdale had no power. PSE&G spent the day trying to restore power. The town activated its Emergency Management Office, sending out all workers, who along with tree removal companies, are clearing out the debris.
Cleanup is expected to take several days.
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