UPPER SAUCON TWP., Pa. — As married couple Joyce Snead and Tom Fogle approached her mother’s home at Bowood Street and Calvert Drive in Center Valley on Tuesday, her tears began to fall.
Monday evening's brief but devastating storm had left its calling card.
- Afton Village in Center Valley was hit especially hard by the intense, windy storm that affected Lehigh Valley on Monday evening
- Toppled trees and damaged windows were reported by residents
- Tree service companies were in the neighborhood in full force on Tuesday
Jeanne Keller’s wraparound yard resembled something out of a dark medieval forest. Large trees, leafy and thick, nearly obscured the house.
They fell across the sloping lawn broken in several places. Some leaned against the side of the two-story home. One of the trees smashed a corner window. Branches littered the property, much of it matted across the roof.
Whether the storm that tore through the Afton Village neighborhood will be identified by weather experts as howling straight-line winds or a tornado did not matter to Snead. Damage, she said, is damage.
“My mom said she heard the storm and it sounded like a loud motor or engine running,” said Snead, who lives in Coopersburg. “Then she said her electricity went out. It’s still out. Luckily, we have a generator giving her power.
“I’m just thankful she didn’t get hurt.”
'There are no guarantees'
Such was the sentiment of many of the residents of Afton Village who were interviewed on Tuesday morning.
Many huddled outside their homes as trucks from countless tree service companies lined the streets. The roar of chainsaws reducing fallen trees to chunks was a constant sound.
“It’s great to have good neighbors ..."Gina Lustig, Afton Village resident
Robert Serra of Darby Street said he was thankful his home was spared when a 65-foot tree in his front yard was toppled by the storm. Unfortunately, the tree landed against his newly customized van in the driveway.
“My insurance company says I’m not covered for the damage,” Serra said. “And they won’t cover the thousands of dollars I’m going to pay to have the tree cut up and removed. I never put in a claim for anything. Now, this is all on me.
“Plus, I lost power. PPL said I should get it back by 8 o’clock tonight, but there are no guarantees.”
'I was lucky'
The sound of hungry chainsaws emanated from Gina Lustig’s backyard at 4764 Aberdeen St.
Fallen trees were being cut, dragged around the house, and fed into a wood chipper by Grider Tree Service. In the driveway was a large generator, compliments of Richard Miller, who lives across the street where power was not affected by the storm.
“I had just come back from a walk when it suddenly got dark and windy and rainy. The trees started swaying. All I lost were two screens that got torn. I was lucky.”Gina Lustig, Afton Village resident
The generator was providing electricity to Lustig’s home and those on either side of her.
“It’s great to have good neighbors like that,” Lustig said. “We lost power around 7 o’clock. I knew we might.
“I had just come back from a walk when it suddenly got dark and windy and rainy. The trees started swaying. All I lost were two screens that got torn. I was lucky.”
As Lustig recounted her storm story, a neighbor, Debbie Hill, of Calvert Place, happened by.
“We had friends over last night,” Hill said. “I looked out the window around 6 and saw the wind blowing the trees hard. I heard about the storm warning, so we went to the basement.
"When we came up, we lost only two trees — both of them more than 40 years old. It could have been worse.”
'They just came because we needed help'
At 4480 Darby St., Charlie Hare slid off his work gloves upon taking a break from gathering up parts of fallen trees.
Hare was asked whether his home sustained any damage.
“I don’t live here; I’m from York,” Hare said. “I’m just staying here fixing up this house for the owners while they’re on vacation in Alaska. I’ve been doing work for this family for 21 years.
“I had to call them on the phone last night to tell them about the damage in the yard. They lost two trees to the storm. That was it.”
Joyce Snead wore a red Washington Senators T-shirt and a look of exhaustion on Tuesday morning.
She rushed about her mother’s tree-littered yard to collect branches big and small and toss them near the bottom of the yard for pickup.
“They said, ‘You need some help?’ I said, ‘What? You came to help?’ They said yes. I couldn’t believe it.Joyce Snead of Coopersburg
Suddenly, two folks she did not know approached the yard. Scott Quilty and his daughter, Sam, a recent graduate of Duquesne University with a degree in Physical Therapy, live on Northwood Drive, two minutes away.
They came with smiles on their faces and a chainsaw in hand.
“They said, ‘You need some help?’” Snead recalled. “I said, ‘What? You came to help?’ They said yes. I couldn’t believe it.
“I didn’t know them and they don’t know my mother. They just came because we needed help. I broke down and cried. It just shows there’s a lot more good people in this world than bad.”
