Storm Victim: 'Everything Is Just Down And Gone'
DENVER (CBS4) - Wednesday's power storms that rolled through the metro area at the height of the evening commute provided quite a beating to some neighborhoods.
At 5th Avenue and Niagara Street a huge tree split and half of it crashed onto the roof of a home. The storm was so powerful that just a couple blocks away on 6th and Oneida a tree was uprooted.
City crews spent much of Thursday morning clearing the debris and branches. The mess forced a small portion of westbound 6th Avenue to close.
Residents told CBS4 they're still in shock at how quickly the storm formed and how much damage it has left behind.
"It's just unbelievable how quickly the storm … I mean it all happened within the span of less than an hour where everything is just down and gone," resident Ali Lego said.
"It got really, really windy and there was all this trash flying in the sky. I think it was from the dumpster over there, and I knew that we were in trouble, so we went right downstairs … my grill got thrown off and my umbrella got thrown off, but I didn't hear any glass or anything, but the rain and the wind was just unbelievable," resident Carol Carey said.
Resident Mark Sandusky told CBS4 that neighbors have been coming together to help each other clean up.
Xcel Energy said at the height of the storm they saw nearly 20,000 power outages. By noon on Thursday 97 percent of Xcel's customers had power restored.