Tree falls on Westbury house, trapping dozens of cats inside
WESTBURY, Long Island (WABC) -- Storms on Monday brought down a large tree onto a home in Westbury which trapped dozens of cats inside.
The tree fell onto the back of the home on Oakdale Drive around 9 p.m. While the family got out safely, it's believed there were still 37 cats inside the house.
"I missed the tree by this much, and my brother was actually grazed by it in bed," said homeowner Wendy Kimball. "He was taking a nap. My brother is a stroke patient and a cancer patient."
Kimball keeps more than three dozen cats in her home. Animal rescuers removed less than a third of them so far on Tuesday.
"They shut us down because it was unsafe, so we came out, an hour later, that whole roof and wall collapsed," said animal rescuers Deb Oliver.
Kimball said she thought about removing the 70-year-old tree recently, but just couldn't.
"The tree that came down was planted by my father, and my mother was a genealogist, and that's a 'family tree,'" she said.
Meanwhile tree experts cleaning up the site said there were several huge trees that came up from their giant roots on the block Monday night.
Just up the street another family's home also took a huge hit. The intense weather that hit earlier this summer has made the ground wetter.
"Normally, storm season is August, September, October, it's been starting early, I mean, we've already had two mini storms actually in June," said Chris Juliano with We Care Tree Service.
But for Kimball, cats like Yogi and and Baby Hope and the others now being rescued are her life -- and even more important than a tree.
"Anybody who's an animal lover would understand that they're my children, and they're the reason I get up every day," she said. "It's not our time. And if God wants me to learn a lesson, I've learned it. I'm cutting down every other tree."
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Download our connected TV app
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
