Latest news with #residents
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Storm batters St. Cloud with 60 MPH winds, uprooting trees and damaging homes
The Brief Severe storms with 60 mph wind gusts battered St. Cloud, Florida, on Thursday night, tearing roofs and toppling trees. Several homes and power lines were damaged, but no injuries were reported. City officials are urging residents to begin hurricane preparations now ahead of what's expected to be an active season. ST. CLOUD, Fla. - Strong winds from severe thunderstorms late Thursday caused widespread damage in St. Cloud, toppling trees, tearing off rooftops and knocking out power, just days ahead of the official start to hurricane season. What we know Severe thunderstorms rolled through St. Cloud late Thursday, producing wind gusts up to 60 mph and large hail, according to the National Weather Service. The powerful winds peeled the aluminum roof off a home on Jersey Avenue and ripped away a screened-in patio. In other parts of the city, trees were toppled onto homes, power lines, and buildings—one of which was later declared unsafe. Despite the destruction, no injuries have been reported. What we don't know Officials have not released a full assessment of the damage or the number of homes affected. It remains unclear whether any residents have been displaced or if utility services have been fully restored across the impacted neighborhoods. Long-term recovery plans or insurance estimates have yet to be announced. The backstory The storm struck just days before the official start of hurricane season, amplifying concerns about readiness. The National Weather Service had issued warnings ahead of the storm, but its force still caught some residents off guard. One family on Fifth Street narrowly avoided tragedy when a tree crashed down near their home moments after they fled with their grandchild. Big picture view The storm has heightened awareness in St. Cloud about the need for early hurricane preparation. City officials are encouraging residents to trim trees and clear debris before more storms arrive. With forecasts predicting an active hurricane season, the damage is being viewed by some as an urgent reminder of the threats ahead. What they're saying In one hard-hit neighborhood along Jersey Avenue, the aluminum roof of a home was peeled back by the storm's force. Across the street from Lakefront Park, public works crews were seen removing a massive tree that had been threatening nearby homes and cars. "There's a lot of people that picnic across the street, and I was afraid that it may even hit a car, you know, as it's going by," the homeowner said. "So I'm glad they went ahead and took it down." Another tree fell near a home on Fifth Street and Missouri Avenue, knocking down power lines and sending a scare through one family. "It came up so fast," a resident said. "Me and my wife were in the bedroom right there with the grandbaby. I seen the tree rocking back and forth. I yelled at her to get the baby out of the room, and as soon as I said that, that tree—it went over." City officials say the recent storms serve as a wake-up call just ahead of hurricane season, which begins Sunday. "Our public works crew — they've really been getting a dress rehearsal for hurricane season," one city official said. "They do predict that we're going to have a very active season, so I would encourage our residents to take those steps now." What you can do As cleanup continues, residents are being asked to place storm debris in their regular trash bins to make it easier for city crews to collect. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information shared by the City of St. Cloud and residents who live along Jersey Avenue.
BBC News
an hour ago
- Business
- BBC News
Sneinton: 'We could have to pay £1m to fix a collapsed wall'
Residents in a Nottingham suburb say they are facing a bill of hundreds of thousands of pounds to repair a retaining Drayton, who lives on Windmill Lane in Sneinton, said the 70ft (21.34m) structure collapsed on 3 February 30-year-old said residents have been unable to get costs for repairs covered by insurers, and called on Nottingham City Council - who rebuilt the wall in 2003 - to "take responsibility".The council said it will not comment "as the wall is privately owned and therefore the council is not responsible for its upkeep or repair". Mr Drayton, who has lived in his house since 2016, said the wall was rebuilt by the council in 2003, but said two structural engineers hired by neighbours found the structure "was never fit for purpose in the first place".After the "massive panic" caused by the collapse, he said residents were left with a £60,000 bill to clear up 200 tonnes of debris, and described the current difficulties in finding a permanent fix as a "tricky situation"."The design flaw was in the wall that had been signed off by Nottingham City Council, and paid by Nottingham City Council, which was subsequently then charged back to us," he said."It's been a four-year process where people have really been struggling, emotionally and financially." Without the wall, Mr Drayton said the site is "totally unsafe", with residents unable to use their gardens without risking more said they are struggling to find a way to pay for the necessary work."We've been in contact with lots of builders, structural engineers and whatnot, trying to understand what the cost of the rebuild would be, and that cost is somewhere between £600,000 and £1m, and that's between six houses," he said."To put that in perspective, I bought the house - my first home - for less than the value of what it would cost to rebuild that wall, so it puts us in a really difficult situation."How we see it is that it's the council that has put us in that situation, because they didn't rebuild the wall properly in the first place, and we've got proof of that."With one neighbour putting up their house for auction and others having had therapy to deal with the stress, Mr Drayton said they face an uncertain future."Financially we can't really do a lot about it," he said."None of us can move from it until it's done."
CTV News
5 hours ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Ice cream, air conditioning and river rafting will likely prove popular on Saturday as heat continues
Lethbridge and much of southern Alberta are dealing with temperatures over 30. Heading into the weekend, people are still looking for ways to keep cool.
Russia Today
7 hours ago
- General
- Russia Today
Ukrainian drones strike houses in western Russia (VIDEO)
Ukrainian kamikaze drones struck residential areas in Russia's western Kursk Region in the early hours of Saturday, injuring 10 people, including two children, Acting Governor Aleksandr Khinshteyn said. In the town of Rylsk, the UAVs hit two five-story apartment blocks, injuring seven people. A family with two children is among the victims, Khinshteyn noted, adding that some residents were hospitalized with shrapnel wounds. In the village of Artakovo, drones damaged two buildings and a garage. A family of three, who were inside the home during the attack, has also been admitted to the hospital, according to the governor. DETAILS TO FOLLOW
CBC
7 hours ago
- Climate
- CBC
First Nations community members trapped as only airport closed due to smoke
Thousands of residents of remote northern First Nations closed in by wildfires are still waiting to be evacuated. On Thursday, the armed forces were able to help transport a few hundred community members out of Pukatawagan. However, on Thursday night, the airport — the only way out — was closed due to smoke.
