Trees, power lines down in storm-ravaged Chester County; residents await power restoration
CHADDS FORD, Pa. - Last night's severe storms left a mess to clean-up in certain parts of Chester County, as residents brace for more potential severe weather.
Alex Murphy had his work cut out for him in Wednesday's uncomfortably hot temperatures.
"This is going to take me the rest of the day to clean-up and probably the rest of the week honestly. It’s a lot," says Murphy.
The yard along Parkersville Road in Chadds Ford was riddled with big branches, for the second time in three months.
Philadelphia severe weather: Storms knock down trees, taking power lines, leaving thousands in dark
Storms began to form late in the afternoon, beginning in the Lehigh Valley and moving south and east, bringing damaging winds, frequent lightning and heavy rainfall.
"A few months back we lost this big tree here, 60 feet - fell across the entire yard, pretty much," says Murphy. "I thought we were gonna' luck out of the rest of the year, and unfortunately the storm was pretty bad."
Further down Parkersville Road, downed trees and power lines made the road impassable. The hum of a generator could be heard from a home nearby.
A portion of Route 1 was down to one lane into the afternoon due to a tree that fell.
In Avondale, downed trees and branches were scattered across backyards and in some front yards along Pennsylvania Avenue.
Asplundh Tree Company crews worked to clean up a massive tree that fell onto a roadway off Pennsylvania Ave. The homeowner tells FOX 29 he scheduled a tree company to come out this week for trees in his backyard, but never thought he had to worry about that one.
Daniel Ford, a fire and police officer with the West Grove Fire Company, says he was called in around 3 a.m. to deal with tractor trailers backed up for miles due to a downed tree in Chatham.
"It was unexpected to have such a strong storm like that come through."