Harrisburg crews clean up after weekend storm tears through the city

Nov 20, 2023

A tree fell on a car on N. 3rd Street in Harrisburg during Saturday's storm.

After a destructive storm swept through Harrisburg over the weekend, crews have been working to clean it all up.

City officials shared on Monday the work that Harrisburg has done to remove fallen trees and clear roadways after Saturday's hail and windstorm.

According to Harrisburg Fire Chief Brian Enterline, the evening storm was a non-forecasted, pop-up cell storm that came from the north. The winds, rain and hail ripped through the city, hitting neighborhoods like Uptown and Midtown the hardest, he said.

"It tore things up left and right," Enterline said.

A large tree that fell near N. Front and Forster streets blocked off Front Street into much of Sunday. Another tree on Bartine Street took down power lines, starting a fire. Some trees were ripped out of the ground by the roots, others cracked and split, officials explained.

According to Dave Baker, director of parks and recreation, the city has been responding to these public safety issues and clearing roads since Saturday night and will likely continue most of this week.

"There's probably a lot that we haven't even seen yet," Baker said. "People need to be vigilant over the next few days."

He warned residents to watch out for fallen power lines and wires.

Other issues from the storm included a billboard near Forster and N. 3rd streets that was damaged and leaning over the road. Enterline said that the fire bureau has since taken the billboard down. There was also some localized flooding due to tree leaves clogging sewage grates in the Midtown area.

The fire bureau also assisted a large group of kayakers on the Susquehanna River during the storm and helped divert emergency traffic coming to UPMC Harrisburg hospital.

A few areas in the city, the largest being Hoverter Homes in South Harrisburg, lost power, but according to Enterline PPL was able to restore power quickly.

Officials said that only one injury due to the storm was reported, stating that a woman was hit by a falling branch on the riverfront and taken to the hospital on Saturday.

According to Matt Maisel, communications director for the city, all city roads were cleared by around 6:30 p.m. on Sunday night.

Baker and the parks department have been working to address any fallen or damaged trees that have become a public safety issue because of the storm. They also plan to clean up any fallen trees, branches and debris on city parks and land in the coming days.

For property owners with tree maintenance and removal needs after the storm, Baker said to call tree service providers. For low-income and senior residents with tree assistance needs, the city may be able to provide help through its tree maintenance program.

Anyone who has a public safety concern should call Dauphin County Dispatch at 717-558-6900, Baker said.

For more information, visit Harrisburg's website.

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