HARTLAND, Wis. — A Hartland homeowner is cleaning up after a tree fell on his house during severe storms early Tuesday morning.
Matt Ballantyne stayed awake to watch the storm roll in at 1:30 a.m., worried about potential damage.
"It sounded like a tornado going through the backyard so I was looking at the backyard and all of a sudden you hear a big crash," Ballantyne said.
Watch: Hartland family safe after massive tree crashes into house
Ballantyne and his wife ran upstairs to their sleeping son.
"We ran up to his room to get him into the basement, and then as we ran up, we saw the tree right across the front of the entire house," Ballantyne said.
Carlos Montes of Midwest Tree and Landscape said the incident is the worst storm damage he has seen so far in the Waukesha County area.
"On my way up there was city trees down, there was people smaller trees not affecting homes, I have seen some gazebos upside down," Montes said.
Montes said his crew will work until the next round of storms begins, with more cleanup expected on Wednesday.
"Everybody is ready to get back to it later on, probably tomorrow morning if not later tonight," Montes said.
Despite the destruction, Ballantyne feels lucky and hopes his property avoids further damage.
"We have some damage to the house, but the cars were missed, the kids were missed, and everybody was safe, so that is all that matters," Ballantyne said.
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