JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After a round of severe storms pushed through Duval County late Wednesday night, residents were left cleaning up Thursday morning, including multiple homes with major tree damage.
In East Arlington in the Kensington Lakes area off Kernan Boulevard, a massive tree toppled on the property of Mandy and Gene Miller.
They were grateful no one was hurt and the damage the tree caused was minimal. It didn’t hit their home.
“It is bittersweet because this was a housewarming present from my mom 32 years ago. She is no longer with us, and now we no longer have the tree,” Mandy Miller said. “It is sad, but you know what, I am very fortunate. When I look around my neighborhood, it does not look like anybody else was affected. It was an isolated incident.”
Over on the Northside on Briarcliff Road, firefighters found a tree on the roof of a home Wednesday night and a woman calling for help.
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue got the call just before 10 p.m. The woman was in a bedroom when the tree came down. She was not trapped by the tree but had been afraid to leave the room, so firefighters forced their way through the front door to help her get out of the house.
A tree limb had punctured the ceiling of the home.
The Red Cross is helping the woman with a place to stay.
While our crew was at that scene, a transformer down the street from the house exploded and caught fire.
About half of a block away from where the tree fell on Briarcliff Road, the storms also took out power lines at the intersection of Haverford and Pinehurst roads.
And out in Callahan, a home was damaged after a large tree fell on it.
Several JEA trucks and crews were seen early Thursday morning fixing those lines and restoring power.