Fallen trees cause havoc across Tulare County during powerful storm

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Overnight winds were powerful enough to knock down multiple trees of all sizes in the South Valley, causing havoc in some communities.

Throughout Tulare County, heavy winds caused several massive trees to topple over.

Some landed on Highway 99, and others in communities like Westlake Village.

"I heard this rustling coming through the trailer and a really loud bang. I got my light and looked down the street and saw one huge pine tree and then across our house there were another two trees," said David Dean, a resident of Westlake Village.

David Dean says he walked around the park in the middle of the night to make sure none of the residents were stuck.

He says about 10 trees knocked over.

The largest one blocked off a main roadway and crushed a home that is no longer in use.

The loud cracking sounds had residents fearful.

" Thank god nobody lived in that house that was crashed," said Doug, a resident.

Residents of an apartment complex in Visalia also had a scare.

They were sound asleep when two large trees came down.

One fell on the side, and the other landed in the middle of a unit, tearing through the roof.

Three families spent their day packing up what they could.

One mother says she was afraid something like this would happen.

She's now moving into another unit temporarily and says while it's a shock to see her living room and kitchen destroyed, she's thankful her children are okay.

"A lot of this damage that we have seen overnight is related to the weather and strong winds knocking down trees and making contact with power lines," explained Gabriela Ornelas with Southern California Edison.

Southern California Edison says crews have been working nonstop to asses downed power lines.

They want to remind everyone to be patient while power outages are worked on.

"Crews have been working all night, all day and will continue to do so, working to restore power to those affected," Ornelas said.