Windstorm cleanup ramps up Monday in Western Washington

Some homeowners are still dealing with the damage left behind by Friday night’s fierce windstorm, especially now that the rain has returned.

The high winds knocked down trees onto houses, streets, electrical wires, even cars all across the Puget Sound.

Some homeowners are just starting to deal with the issues now that the weekend has wrapped up.

“I discovered (Sunday) morning we have a leak in the house,” said Green Lake homeowner Karen Chase, “because actually the branches had come in through the roof.”

Chase showed the tree that punctured her roof on what has not been her best weekend.

“Because we discovered that this part had come down and that there was a branch down,” she said.

A large tree crashed onto her house Friday night as she and her daughter ate dinner inside. Then Sunday, the rain returned.

“Then this morning,” she said, “I went into my daughter’s room because she was staying at a friend’s house last night and discovered that it was leaking inside. So we have leaks in the ceiling and on the floor because it’s coming in.”

She says the tree was part of the greenbelt of the Burke Gilman Trail that goes behind their house. They noticed last summer that it was leaning. And she says they called the city of Seattle to complain.

But it seemed to fall on deaf ears. She said she didn’t feel heard.

“No,” said Chase. “I wish they would come around and actually taken a good look at the trees and see what is dead and really take care of it more, because they are dangerous and we are very fortunate nobody got hurt.”

In Greenlake, Lucas Cheadle could hear the wind howling outside his home Friday night.

“It was windy,” remembered Cheadle. “The power was flickering.”

When he came outside a couple of hours later, he saw that the wind had brought down a big Maple onto the vehicle parked in his new neighbor’s yard.

“It’s kinda scary to think that trees can just fall over,” he said.

No one was hurt there, either. And the vehicle is a loaner from a dealer. Still, the new owners don’t even live there yet.

“They’re moving in on Friday,” he said. “Welcome to the neighborhood.”

And what a rude welcome to this Greenlake neighborhood.