BERKS COUNTY, Pa. – Power and landscaping crews are continuing to clean up and make repairs following this week’s storms.
Strong winds knocked power out for thousands and left trees down all around the region.
Wednesday night, about 1300 Met-Ed customers in Berks are still without service.
“It went out around 10:40 p.m. on Monday,” says Albright College senior, Autumn Horger. “The storms were pretty bad; I heard the wind whirling up. I was doing an assignment, and I just heard a bunch of whirring and saw it browning out, then it was just out. Gone.”
Downed utility pole on Richmond Street near Albright College between 11th and 12th
WFMZ-TV | Chad Blimline
Since then, students and staff at Albright College have been muddling through without power for the most part.
“Right next to the cafeteria we have a backup generator and it’s been really nice,” says Horger. “They’ve been giving us free food, free meals, some games; just a place to really connect.”
While power crews continue working to get power restored tree crews are tackling work one job at a time.
“The wind Monday night was vicious; lots of damage trees on houses, sheds, garages things like that,” says David Bartman, owner of Bartman Services.Â
Bartman says his company has been working a lot with David Sparr Jr. Tree Service in the wake of the week’s wind damage. In the Douglassville area, a large spruce tree fell on a shed.
Large spruce tree fell on a shed
WFMZ-TV | Caitlin Rearden
“From all the previous rain that we had that day the ground was saturated, so when the windstorm came through it pulled the roots right, snapped the roots right off the top of the ground,” says Bartman.Â
Crews say winter can bring just as much trouble for trees falling with heavy snow and ice, but storms and winds can wreak havoc as well.
“Without the Magni this job would’ve been easily a full day and a lot more hazard with the weight shifting and the magnitude of the tree whereas that machine can just grab it, lift it and swing it right out to be processed,” says Bartman.Â