Wind, rain topple trees, power lines in east Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The wind and rain caused trees to topple on at least two major roads overnight in east Charlotte.

Crews shut down E. 7th Street and Commonwealth Avenue to deal with downed trees.

PHOTOS: Tree crashes onto SUV in east Charlotte

There were no injuries at either scene, but the downed tree caused extensive damage to a Toyota SUV parked on Commonwealth Avenue.

The SUV belonged to Stacey Corey and Nick Corey, a couple moving from Mississippi to Virginia Beach, Virginia. They stopped in Charlotte for the night.

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"We were planning on getting at the road at 7 this morning to try to beat the storm in Virginia," Nick Corey said. "We will attack it later I guess."

"I started hyperventilating," Stacey Corey said. "Our friends are so nice they are going late into work to help us."

The city of Charlotte has already responded to more than five calls for downed trees.

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Interim city arborist Tim Porter expects that number to continue to climb.

"Wind is the big concern," Porter said. "We are supposed to get a lot of rain in a short period of time and when you combine that with wind, the numbers go up."

Porter has all of his crews on standby this weekend.

If you see a downed tree call 911, but if it's not an emergency call 311, Porter said.

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Either way, city workers will come out to assess the damage.

Porter advised people to check their trees for holes, cavities and mushrooms. If anything looks unusual, call a certified arborist.

Around 10:30 a.m. another large tree with power lines was reported down across Winfield Drive near Pierson Drive. Police said the road could be closed until 7 p.m.

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