Baldwin gets hit by powerful storm
Storm downs trees, power lines; many were without electricity as week began
Heavy rainfall and strong winds whipped through Baldwin last weekend, resulting in downed trees and power lines and some power outages across the hamlet. About three inches of rain fell, according to the National Weather Service.
"It was certainly an interesting storm," said Baldwin Fire Department Commissioner Doug Wiedmann, estimating that the department responded to about 130 calls over the weekend, under the direction of Chief Scott Zinn. Wiedmann said that trees and power lines were down across Baldwin, and that many people were still without power on Monday. "You name it, trees came down on it," he said.
Baldwin resident Keith Harmon, who submitted several photos of the damage to the Herald, said he sent his family up to North Baldwin after noticing that a tall tree was leaning toward his Baldwin Harbor home. Ironically, five trees toppled near his family — one crushing his wife's friend's car (photo, top right). Harmon's tree never fell, and he and his family were unharmed.
Harmon, an electrician, could be seen carefully cutting and removing electrical and telephone wires that came down near his home. Later, using his car to block traffic where a gate was stuck in the telephone wires at the Oceanside train station, he donned a work vest and freed the gate from the wires.
Harmon said he lost power on Saturday night and got it back on Sunday afternoon. "It was pretty hectic," he said of his weekend. "You try not to get too upset or excited, and just handle the situation as it comes."
Stanton Avenue resident Jack McCloy said there were several trees on his block that pulled up sidewalks and fell into the street, but no one was injured. "It seems like most of the trees missed houses," McCloy said, though he noted that many residents couldn't move their vehicles because of all the debris.
Michael Cecere, director of the Cecere-Pensa Funeral Home in Baldwin, said that three 50-foot-tall, 75-year-old trees came down in his parking lot, narrowly missing two cars, one of them his. "You couldn't fit a piece of paper between the tree and the car," he said. "We were very lucky."
