Strong storms bring down trees, knock out power in the North Hills

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — Across the North Hills area, several trees were down, power lines knocked over and debris scattered after a downburst hit the area Monday.

One neighbor in McCandless said he’s never seen anything like it before.

“Freaking out. It must have been 50, 60, 70 mile per hour winds,” said Edward Haller.

Some trees fell in his backyard. Luckily, it just missed his car and deck.

“Pretty lucky, like 15 feet away from the deck,” said Haller.

However, his neighbor across the street wasn’t as fortunate. A massive tree fell on a home along Guenevere Drive while a family was having dinner. The home is near McCandless Crossing. They haven’t had power for more than a day.

“Something like that was pretty wild,” said Haller.

Over in Wexford along Reichold Road, the major street was closed off because some power lines and a pole were knocked down.

Hundreds of people in that area don’t have power either. Channel 11 spoke with a neighbor who’s doing everything he can to stay cool until the power turns back on.

“Early this morning I got big ice bags to put in my freeze and fridge, “said Andy Schrauder. “It’s inconvenient, especially with this weather.”

According to Penn Power, people in the North Hills area should expect their power back on by 11 p.m. Wednesday.

Storms hit Wexford summer camp while campers were on-site

Tree after tree toppled over at Windwood’s summer camp in Wexford after Monday’s downburst, causing a big mess.

“It was pretty much a normal camp day but all of a sudden we got an alarm that some weather was heading this way,” said Kerry Ryan, Windwood camp manager.

When the storm hit, camp leaders said around 50 campers between the ages of 4 and 13 were there and everyone quickly took cover.

Storms hit Wexford summer camp while campers were on-site

“The first tree collapsed right in front of the office. We saw all the debris coming over the roof so our priority was getting all the counselors and campers into a safe location,” said Christian Dickson, Windwood camp counselor.

At least 10 trees were knocked down, hitting several power lines. Camp leaders said the most important thing was no one was hurt.

“The campers were definitely scared so making sure they are safe is always our top priority,” Dickson said.

On Tuesday Channel 11 saw crews cleaning up the mess. There is debris everywhere across the property — including on the tennis courts, in the pool and on the cabins.

The summer camp is closed for now. Leaders are hoping to reopen on Thursday, depending on when power is restored.

“At this point, what we are planning to do is get all the trees and debris cleaned up. Get the power back on and get things rollin’ as normal,” Ryan said.

According to Penn Power, camp leaders said people in the North Hills area should expect their power back on by 11 p.m. Wednesday night.

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