Storms leave flooded roads, fallen trees and damaged homes across New Jersey
HAWORTH, New Jersey (WABC) -- A towering 100-foot oak tree that stood for generations could not withstand the powerful storms that swept through New Jersey on Tuesday.
The massive tree crashed onto a home on Tower Drive in Maplewood, leaving significant damage behind.
"It's mostly the attic. It's a hole in the roof," homeowner Julia Cerny said.
For Cerny, the loss is about more than property damage. The tree was a fixture of family life for decades.
"Oh, it's sad. Don't make me sad," Cerny said. "We had a swing on it, and the kids grew up with that. So lots of memories."
Cerny was away on vacation when neighbors called to tell her what had happened. She said concerns about the aging tree had been carefully monitored for years.
"We had it looked at very often by tree companies and experts, with samples and trimming and all the things that we could have done to save it for as long as we could," she said.
But the storm proved too much.
John Zelenka, of Z Tree Cutting Experts, said a combination of weather conditions likely led to the collapse.
"We got a lot of rain, and with the sunshine, the trees soak up a lot of water," Zelenka said. "Then with the ground saturation and the right wind direction, the trees come down."
Zelenka said the Maplewood job was the largest of five calls his company responded to that day.
Removing the tree requires a careful approach.
"You've got to start taking off all the branches, anything that's loose first," Zelenka said. "This is a historic home with a slate roof, so you've got to make sure you don't cause any further damage."
The storms also caused damage elsewhere in the region.
In Haworth, another tree crashed into a home on Spring Lane, crushing a generator and damaging the house.
"There's actually a generator underneath here that's been crushed," homeowner David Cieplicki said.
Cieplicki said he was having breakfast when he heard the tree come down.
"I heard a crack, then I heard more than a crack," he said. "I looked to the side of my window, and that's when I realized that a tree had crashed through my home."
He said he narrowly avoided being away when the tree fell.
"I was going to leave for the Jersey Shore at 9 a.m. Thank goodness I didn't go," Cieplicki said.
As cleanup continues, some residents worry severe weather is becoming more common.
"It does seem with climate change that the storms are getting more frequent, more intense, with more flooding and flash flooding, which is scary," one resident said.
Despite the destruction, homeowners are focused on what could have been worse.
"We're just grateful that nobody was home and hurt," Cerny said.
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