GREENSBORO, N.C. — A powerful storm barreled through the Triad Sunday! And for the Green Valley neighborhood, they’re now experiencing the aftermath.
“The next thing I heard was a tree crashing through my sliding glass doors," homeowner, Glenn Helms shared.
A tree in his neighbor's yard keeled over and crashed into his own backyard. It caused a domino effect that, in addition to the extensive damage, took out his power.
“My deck was destroyed; I couldn’t get my car out because there were trees in the driveway and all over the backyard. I’ll be without power for an extensive amount of time because the trees destroyed my outside power meter," Helms said.
On the street over, the Van Burens were a little luckier. Monday morning, Rob Van Buren got up around 6 a.m. with his wife, Karen, and the two of them got to work in fixing what they could -- even without power.
“We’ve had a few storms and ice storms; you know that have really damaged us around here and have taken out the lights. I think the longest we’ve been without lights is five days," said Karen Van Buren.
“It’s just part of homeownership! And being in a community for so long that you know the neighbors and you just, help each other out when these kinds of events happen," Rob added.
While damage varied in this Greensboro neighborhood, both owners expressed a sense of optimism about the future and gratitude towards their friends, family, and neighborhood.
“We had lots of friends say 'Oh, come on out and spend the night with us!' But we were quite content just to be here. Slept with the windows open and fortunately it wasn’t super muggy hot," Rob Van Buren said.
“I had friends dive up from Durham. I had relatives come over. I had friends from the old neighborhood come up and put plywood up to secure the entrance to the house, so everybody comes together and really gives to each other in this area," said Helms.
While Helms will be without power for an undisclosed amount of time, the Van Burens' have gotten their own power back on the following day.