Storms carve path of destruction in Dutchess County
WAPPINGERS FALLS, Dutchess County (WABC) -- A massive cleanup effort is underway in Dutchess County Thursday after intense storms carved a path of destruction and knocked out power to thousands.
There were scary moments for one family that was eating dinner when a tree toppled onto their home.
DPW crews are hard at work in Wappingers Falls restoring power, but there are plenty of reminders of how furious the storms were, including a car crushed under a massive fallen tree and a metal shed tossed into the street.
"It was really, really bad, really quick, for like 20 minutes," area resident Farah Harris said. "But the damage, so much damage. I work four minutes from here. It took me 30 minutes to get home because of all the trees and the darkness, all the traffic lights out."
Check the updated AccuWeather forecast here.
It was around 7 p.m. Wednesday that the weather took a turn, with the storm roaring through the heart of the village.
The worst of the damage was along Mill Street and Spring Street, where a tree came down on a house.
"The trees fell down like dominoes, it felt like," homeowner Heather Acree said. "One in the lake, one on the house, one right after each other."
The family escaped injury by running down to the basement.
"It seemed like a normal summer storm, and then all the sudden it just went haywire," Justin Acree said.
At the height of the power outages, more than 4,000 were without electricity in Dutchess County.
The National Weather Service says it is monitoring the situation, but there are no plans to send a survey team.
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