STOCKTON, Calif. — Multiple trees were felled from one neighborhood to the next all across the Port City as a major winter storm swept across California.
Not one but two trees fell next to each other at two different homes in North Stockton on Sheridan Way. One hit a car and another landed on a house.
On North El Dorado Street, Herb Meerman, his wife, and two kids were home when a massive tree fell around 9 p.m.
"So, we run outside and we see that the left limb fell this way of those kind of hit the top of the roof a little bit," said Meerman.
Fortunately, the tree caused no major damage.
Just down the street from that house, a tree toppled on top of a Jeep Liberty SUV parked in front of a home. It belongs to Sarah Gidney. She travels each winter from Idaho to her brother's home in Stockton to avoid the freezing storms.
"Then my eye like followed the branches slowly and then I like realized, 'Oh, that's like on my car. Oh no,'" Gidney said.
She said she has insurance and will be given a rental car for now.
All across Stockton, wind destroyed hotel signs, knocked down fences, and caused flooding at the underpass on Harding Way. Winds gusted up to 58 miles per hour overnight at the Stockton Metropolitan Airport. Power was out at intersections -- blacking out signal lights and forcing businesses to close.
But, March's Liquor Mart on Harding Way stayed open -- operating in the dark.
"We're actually doing business from the front door on a cash basis only for folks who are in need in the neighborhood," store owner Randy Medler said.
Those who do storm clean up say things have been complicated by power outages.
"We had overnight about 50 calls for trees down. We still have five roads in the county that are closed right now," said Jim Stone, Deputy Public Works Director for Operations San Joaquin County.
County public works officials say if you don't have to be on the road, stay off of them -- especially at night as more storms move in this week.
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