CORNELIUS, N.C. — Channel 9 was there as arborists chopped down limbs and cleaned up the mess after a large tree fell on houses in Cornelius on Wednesday morning.
The path of destruction could be followed down Cornelius Street.
After it split, the tree downed power lines, totaled a car and damaged two houses.
Kyle Dalton owns one of the homes damaged by the tree.
“It sounded like a loud boom, didn't know if it was thunder that struck the house or what,” said Dalton.
[RELATED: Massive downed trees block busy roadways across Charlotte]
Residents were inside when the tree fell, but fortunately, there were no injuries.
“First report that I got was the tenants were out and everyone is safe,” said Dalton.
He currently rents the home to a woman and her son.
“We're working to get them under a roof tonight, make sure they're safe and taken care of tonight,” he said.
Tree experts told Channel 9 that there are simple ways homeowners can prevent experiencing this catastrophe.
Cormac Nagan of Hartwood Tree said, “The best way to do it is have it inspected annually by an arborist.”
Nagan oversaw the cleanup on Cornelius Street.
He said he isn’t surprised this happened and showed Channel 9 the rot now visible inside the split tree.
Nagan also said an inspection can't eliminate risk, but it can reduce it.
Neighbors told Channel 9 that the man who lives in the second house that was damaged just renovated, including roof repair. Now, he's tasked with new repairs on top of needing a new car.
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/LH3JSJEF3VBLRJLJQESEAG34AM.png)
