A powerful storm that moved through Newport News Wednesday night knocked out power and uprooted trees all over the city.
A massive tree came crashing into a building containing three apartments on Arlington Avenue at the Brookridge Apartments.
The three families inside were okay, however the damage did mean that the units were condemned.
A crane and tree removal team worked throughout the afternoon to remove the large tree, which neighbor Tabitha Smart heard fall around midnight.
"It sounded like a car accident. That’s what it sounded like. It was that loud," Smart exclaimed.
On Church Road, sisters Stori Anderson and Jamaica Heimbach were inside their home when a large tree came crashing into the living area around 11:30 p.m.
"It was like a big crack and then a huge boom. It was really loud and very, very scary," Anderson said.
The sisters, Heimbach's children and their dogs were able to get out of the house safely and learned the situation could have been much worse.
"The fire marshal said we were very close to death," Anderson explained.
"The tree was next to the bedrooms where we were sleeping," Heimbach added. "The way the wind caught it – it went through the middle of the house instead, so we are very, very, very lucky."
A tree also fell onto a townhouse on Daphia Circle where one person was injured, but they are expected to be okay.
