'There Was Just This Crash:' Massive Tree Smashes Into Staten Island Home
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The force of Monday's nor'easter badly damaged homes across the Tri-State area as strong winds knocked down trees.
On Staten Island, the Plevrites are counting their blessings after a Tulip tree came crashing down onto their home like a it was a dollhouse, taking out a chunk of the roof.
Talk about a close call! Tree takes out a chunk of these homeowners' master suite on Staten Island during last night's storm @CBSNewYork pic.twitter.com/Ue7311p3sF
— Janelle Burrell (@BurrellTV) January 24, 2017
Rosalie Plevrites said she was home alone, watching television downstairs in her two-story home on Edinboro Road around 9:30 p.m. Monday when she heard the howling winds and then the boom.
"I heard it sort of pick up and then all of a sudden there was just this crash," she said. "The impact was quite startling."
It took a few moments for her to even figure out what had happened.
"I realized when I saw a hole in the roof and a leak coming through," she said.
Her husband came racing home, relieved to find her unhurt.
"It hits you later as to what could have been," Plevrites said.
The towering tree now sits right in the middle of the vaulted ceiling of the master suite.
The massive trunk first hit their car, before collapsing on the roof on one side, and then some of its branches pierced right through its shingles like a porcupine's quill, CBS2's Janelle Burrell reported. One branch poked a hole in the siding like a piece of paper.
Arborist Tom McAuley said the tree is likely between 50 and 60 years old.
He points out the base of the trunk was rotted, a warning for other homeowners.
"It may be on the back of your mind but this is a good case, you see what can happen," McAuley.
A crane will be used to remove the tree.