Downed trees and power lines were commonplace Sunday morning in Mount Vernon after the area was hit by Hurricane Irene.
"We lost a tree, not a very big one," said Mary Ciske, who was clearing debris from her front yard on Sunday. Her husband, Bruce, was cutting the tree with a chainsaw.
"It only took us fifteen minutes [to cut the tree] with the chainsaw. It's not too bad," added Bruce.
Many residents in the neighborhoods surrounding Mount Vernon High School lost power Saturday night after a transformer blew.
"It put on a beautiful light show, like the Fourth of July," said Mary Ciske. "We lost power."
Residents were still without power on Sunday morning. On Woodley Drive, downed trees and three downed poles were not yet cleared. Power lines hung low on Old Mount Vernon Road, making conditions dangerous for pedestrians and motorists. The road was closed between Maryland Street and Colonial Drive.
"We're still looking up," said Liz Hackett, who was walking her dog with Joan MacNair. Both women live in the neighborhood and said they had lost power at 10 p.m. on Saturday.
Meanwhile, in Wessynton, Parks and Grounds Chair Ginger Poole was overseeing crews working to clear downed trees and debris.
"We've had five trees down in the neighborhood," Poole said. "There's one big one in the forest that residents will help clear."
The Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens opened at 11 a.m. on Sunday. According to Media Relations Director Melissa Wood, the mansion, grounds, and buildings are fine, and one big tree went down last night as a result of Irene.
