MILWAUKEE — Neighbors across Milwaukee spent Wednesday cutting branches, clearing streets and checking on each other after severe storms swept through Tuesday night, leaving a trail of destruction from the city's northwest side into Wauwatosa and beyond.
Andi Letizia was still processing what she walked out to after the storm.
"I was in a little bit of shock last night," Letizia said.
A massive tree ripped out of the ground and collapsed into her driveway, tearing up her front yard. The damage happened in minutes.
"Wind hit the house. My ears popped. The dog ran to the kitchen. I grabbed the dog. We went downstairs, and then it was over within like a minute. It was so fast," Letizia said.
Letizia's home did not escape damage. Across Enderis Park, neighbors found trees crashed into homes, garages crushed and streets blocked by debris.
At 75th and Chambers, a tree came down across the road as neighbors worked to clear it. Looking down Chambers Street, another tree landed on a house, one landed on a garage, and a mangled trampoline was visible, showing the force of the storm.
A few blocks away near 78th and Burleigh, the storm damaged cars and homes and left many people without power.
"Our electricity flickered. I saw some flames kind of run between my neighbor's house and my own," said Jill, who lives near 78th and Burleigh.
The storm passed as quickly as it arrived.
"Three minutes maybe. We were outside again. It was completely calm and beautiful," Jill said.
"Our trees had gotten hit. Took his down on his house. Mine took down the power lines," Jill said.
For Letizia, the community response stood out amid the destruction.
"All you hear is negative stuff all the time, and then when something like this happens, everybody just comes together and does what they need to do in order to help everybody out," Letizia said.
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