Storm damage leaves Bristol homes hit by trees, thousands without power across Connecticut
A powerful storm brought down trees and power lines across Connecticut, damaging homes and leaving thousands without electricity as cleanup crews worked through the weekend.
In Bristol, contracted crews spent Sunday clearing debris and removing fallen tree trunks after Saturday night’s storm. The Bristol mayor’s office said nearly 4,000 Eversource customers lost power. By the end of Sunday, power had been restored to about 1,500 customers.
One home on Round Tree Hill Road was struck by a tree while a family inside was celebrating the Fourth of July. The tree totaled a car outside but caused no additional major damage to the home after the family took shelter in the basement.
Matthew Evanonski said he watched the frightening moment unfold.
“I looked out the window and saw the hail falling and then all of a sudden, I saw the tree fall right on the house.”
Jessica Evanonski described the storm as unlike anything the family had experienced.
“The wind blowing and the hail was terrifying. Something you’ve never seen before? Never. No.”
Elsewhere in Bristol, a tree was completely uprooted and fell onto a home. On Shrub Road, downed power lines blocked several driveways and knocked out electricity.
Jennifer Shorette said she learned about the damage from a neighbor.
“We got a phone call from our neighbor saying they were trapped in the house, that a tree had fallen and that it was not good here at home.”
Despite the damage, neighbors worked together to cut up tree trunks blocking the area.
“We’re very fortunate in the neighbor category here and really have some fantastic neighbors around this area,” Shorette.
East Haddam also experienced significant storm damage, with fallen trees bringing down power lines and causing outages.
Twelve-year-old Kayle Strong said her family did not realize how severe the storm had been.
“It’s kind of crazy to think that it was just that we mostly heard rain. We didn’t even hear wind or nothing,” she said.
The power outage created additional challenges for residents dealing with the summer heat.
Strong said the family was managing without electricity.
“It’s kind of hard but we’re working through it,” she said.
For the Evanonski family in Bristol, the damage to their home can be repaired. They said they are most grateful everyone made it through the storm safely.
“We were all able to be okay and be safe. Nobody got hurt thankfully,” Matthew Evanonski said.
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