SUFFOLK, Va. — Over the past three days, storm clean-up efforts have been nonstop in parts of Suffolk, especially the Riverview neighborhood.
The damage there is extensive. Crews worked all day Thursday to clear trees and get the lights back on.
Homeowners are doing what they can to help pick things up in Riverview, little by little.
“We lucked out, except for the yard,” said 27-year resident Steve Rapoport.
Many neighbors said the neighborhood was barely recognizable on Tuesday morning.
“Trees were snapping one by one, bam, bam, bam,” said longtime resident Sheila Ward. “You could hear them hitting the houses.”
Ward’s house was also spared, but many neighbors took a direct and large hit.
Katie Rosenthal and her son were home when a huge tree crashed into their living room and kitchen. They live just a few houses down from Ward.
“We grabbed the dogs and almost didn’t make it into the bathroom,” Rosenthal said. “Slammed the door shut and just rode it out.”
The severe damage is consistent throughout Riverview.
The Davy Tree Expert Company, power, and city crews are working to clear homes and turn on the lights.
“We’ve had everything from pine, oaks, cherry tree, anything in its path came down,” said Davy Tree Regional Manager Jason Fawcett.
Fawcett said they had about 10 crews working on houses in the neighborhood on Tuesday. He said they will probably continue clearing trees and debris there all next week.
Suffolk City Officials said they have assessed damage on 110 structures so far. Citizens are encouraged to contact the Suffolk Department of Community Development to report any damages at 757-514-4150.
At 6:30 p.m., 284 customers in Riverview were still without power. Dominion Energy said the hardest-hit areas probably wouldn’t have power restored until Friday.