Strong winds topple trees, cause damage and power outages across Delaware Valley
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- High winds on Sunday have left behind widespread damage and power outages across the Philadelphia region. Crews were also on alert for more of the same on Monday.
RELATED: AccuWeather Alert: Strong winds impact the area through Monday
Local utilities have all hands on deck to respond to any issues and make repairs.
Joanna Mann was already awake in her Cherry Hill, New Jersey, home around 4 a.m. Monday when a tree came crashing down.
"I heard a huge thud and I knew a tree fell," said Mann. "I looked up in the ceiling and I saw some tree branch embedded in the ceiling."
No one was hurt in the incident.
A tree fell on Doreen Graham's SUV in Cherry Hill.
"The back end seems bent. It blew out the back window, the side window," she said.
Smit Patel lives on her street and had been without power for about 18 hours when Action News spoke with him Monday afternoon. He said the gusts were shockingly loud.
"Too loud. I could not sleep. I'm up all night," said Patel.
In Winslow Township, more than a dozen poles came down, taking wires with them along the White Horse Pike.
A trampoline was caught on a home surveillance camera as it flew across the street towards a home in Hamilton Township, Mercer County. Two cars in the driveway were damaged.
In Philadelphia, there were speed restrictions in place for all area bridges, including the Ben Franklin Bridge, Walt Whitman Bridge, Betsy Ross Bridge and Commodore Barry Bridge. Under the restrictions, tractor-trailers could pull empty trailers due to the strong winds, according to the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA).
The pedestrian walkway on the Ben Franklin Bridge was also closed on Sunday due to the wind. It has since reopened at 6 a.m. on Monday.
In Sharon Hill, Pa., the high winds toppled the awning at the Sunoco as station on the 600 block Chester Pike on Sunday night.
And on the 3300 block of Darby Road in Haverford, Action News found a tree down in a heavily wooded area. A tree removal service company who was in the area says they have their hands full.
"We've received about 20 calls so far since about 6 p.m. for multiple tree emergencies. Trees on structures, trees blocking driveways, you know on top of buildings through houses," said Jake Chmielowski, owner of Jake's Tree Service.
In the Overbrook section of Philadelphia, trees hit at least five cars on the 5600 block of Wyndale Avenue. No injuries were reported.
In another tragic case, a downed tree crashed and killed a woman in a car in Northeast Philadelphia.
Power Outages
PECO says they're working on trying to restore power lost from the down wires.
At one point, PECO reported more than 126,000 people in the dark.
"We have crews working to assess damage as quickly as we can," said PECO spokesperson Ben Armstrong.
Customers with PSE&G AC Electric and Delmarva were also impacted.
With the wind warnings posted through Monday, power crews and tree services say their work has just begun.
"We're expecting, you know, over 100 calls [Monday] in our office. We have some extra staff coming in too," Chmielowski added.
PHL Delays
Philadelphia International Airport says the weather conditions have impacted some flights. Travelers are urged to check with their airline.
