Strong Storm Leaves Residents Coping with Damage [PHOTOS]

Residents throughout Lacey are coping with property damage after strong winds swept through the area Tuesday night.

Last night, more than 700 residents were without electricity. As of 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, approximately 41 residents were still experiencing a power outage, according to JCP&L’s power outage map.

Trucks carrying tree branches and some with telephone poles traveled the streets of Lacey this afternoon.

Fran of Spruce Street, who declined to provide her last name, was watching So You Think You Can Dance when her house began to shake and the windows rattled Tuesday night.

She and her husband sought shelter in the bathroom when they heard a loud bang. A tree had uprooted and struck their house. The tree still rests on the newly renovated roof.

“I’m so tired. I didn’t get any sleep,” she said, adding that the couple couldn’t sleep in their bedroom. Fran was advised by the police to stay on the opposite end of the house in case the tree was to cause further damage.

Damage for Fran was estimated at $4,000, she said.

As the storm pummeled through the area, Fran asked her husband what it was, she said. He had, as well as other Lacey residents who contacted Lacey Patch, believed it was a tornado, having experienced one previously.

But the storm was simply strong gusts of wind, not a tornado, Meteorologist Mitchell Gaines of the National Weather Service Mount Holly Weather Forecast Office said.

“Straight-line wind damage caused by a downburst of wind moved through the area yesterday evening,” she said. The strong gusts of wind came in from offshore as well as the storm moving east.

“The interaction of those elements caused damaging winds from the storms,” she said.

Throughout that area, branches had fallen from trees and workmen continued to work through the afternoon.

A tree crushed Fran’s neighbor’s shed.

“I have never seen trees bend so far in my life,” the neighbor said, declining to share his name. He added that the damage appeared to be worse than Hurricane Irene.

Police were busy through the night, Lt. James Veltri said. The first call came in at 7:25 p.m. for a downed wire on Route 9 and Lacey Road.

From that point on, police received calls for downed wires on Edgemere Avenue, Cedar Drive, Tamarack Road, Falkenburg Avenue and Lakeside Drive, Clearview Street, Taylor Lane, Spruce Street, Olds Street, Seabright Road.

Trees were also down on Brandywine Avenue, Beach Boulevard, Lakeside Drive South and more.

“In between the calls for downed wires and trees, we got numerous power and fire calls,” he said.

Traffic signals throughout Lacey had gone off due to the power outage, he said.

On Holly Place, a tree and a wire were on fire. On Spruce Street, a wire was sparking, he said. JCP&L was notified.

“Currently speaking, officers have been stationed at Lakeside Drive and Falkenburg Avenue for damage and wires down since 9:30 p.m. last night,” Veltri said. “We’re hopeful power will be restored this afternoon.”

To report a power outage, click here or call 888-544-4877.

Tell us how your area was impacted. Any trees or wires down? Are you still without power? Let us know in the comments section of this article.

If you have any photos of storm damage in Lacey Township, upload them to this story or email elaine.piniat@patch.com.