BERWICK, Pa. — Brush and branches were unloaded by the truckload on Friday at the Berwick recycling center. The reminders of Wednesday's storm are piled high as homeowners take advantage of the sunshine.
"I'm trying to get it done before tomorrow before the rain starts," Rick Weaver said.
This storm was like no other for residents, including Weaver, who has lived here his entire life.
"Trees were literally bending straight down. You could hear the cracks. The tree limbs were just falling, falling, falling."
Despite what many suspected, the National Weather Service says downburst winds hit Berwick, not a tornado.
"It was roaring. It was just when you can't see two feet out the window. It's raining and sleeting, and you can't see out the window. It was just bad," Gary O'Neil said.
Trees fell just about everywhere around Berwick—on homes, on roads, and on power lines.
Some neighbors were luckier than others.
"It came right down on my trailer," O'Neil said. "I had to cut all the limbs up and the brush, but the stuff that was on the trailer, all I had to do was cut the ends off. It was already loaded."
It's been all hands on deck for everyone around the borough. Even the recycling center is opening its doors to give people a place to throw the debris as they continue to clean up, working to return to normal.
"When Berwick's down, we get up and stick together," Weaver said. "There's a lot more to do, but I don't have a chainsaw. So, I have a buddy coming over. Hopefully, he gets in between the rain storms this weekend and we get everything chopped up."
Brush and branches will eventually be turned into piles of mulch, which residents will eventually be able to use. The recycling center will be open from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Saturday.