Community Corner

Tree Falls on Pine Trail Car

Residents on the street will be without power and water until CL&P comes on Sunday.

Elsje Kibler's parents, Rob and Ria picked an unfortunate time to take a two-week trip from Holland visit their daughter, as the family waits until Connecticut Light & Power comes Sunday for power and water to be restored to Pine Trail.

While Elsje, the director of community engagement and education for the Hartford Symphony, waited at work for the storm to pass, her husband, John and two-year-old daughter, Vera were inside at their rented house at 17 Pine Trail with her parents and the family dog. They hid out by their piano as John, a Hartford Symphony bassist, and Ria played, including a Dutch song about the wind.

Vera remembers a "boom" and then the lights went out after a tree in the yard fell on the family's red Jeep. John said that the neighbor across the street at 16 Pine Trail was on his porch when the tree was falling and "dove on his stomach into his living room." The tree, which crushed the roof, is still there and John said he has heard another tree in the yard creaking that previously shared a trunk with the fallen tree.

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"It runs still, but the frame is completely toast," Elsje said.

Elsje said the Jeep has sentimental value for her and her husband because they drove it cross-country nine times when they were living in California. John's computer was in the car, which he retrieved, and, as a music teacher and bass player, he had some instruments in the car, as well.

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But he and Elsje are grateful no people were in the car and that no one was injured. Vera had just been playing in the yard with her dad 15 minutes before the storm started, John told Avon Police Officer Ryan Dery.

The family may seek a hotel for safety, and until then, they have been building campfires and going to Secret Lake for water for their toilets, since all of the houses on the street have wells.

Deborah Doyle, who lives at 11 Pine Trail, said that Avon Fire Chief Michael Trick left the hose out at the Company Two fire station down the road for residents until the well water is available again. Cooking is not an option for her without power, so she's been eating potato salad she made the day before so that it won't go bad.

She lives with her sister there, and said that her lights went out just as she walked in the door. Her only source of light Thursday night were candles and flashlights, though she chose to spend much of Friday outdoors in her shady yard, which was cooler than inside. She sat on her hammock Friday afternoon reading 7th Heaven by James Patterson, since her Kindle was out of power,until heading to her son's for the weekend like usual to babysit in his Colchester home that has power.

Cliff and Pam Dudley, 14 Pine Trail, were on their way to look for a generator just before 2 p.m. That way, they can get their air conditioning running again, as well as Cliff's sleep apnea machine to help him breathe at night.

"It's pretty rough here," Cliff said.

Until then, Pam said, "you realize you can get by without some of the amenities when you have to."


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