NEWFANE, N.Y. — Residents on Shadigee Road in Newfane say the severe weather was so intense Thursday afternoon that it felt like something was crashing into the neighborhood.
"It was just covered in rain, and it seemed to be going in circles," Cheryl Beyer said. "I could see the tops of the trees break off and start to fly out, then it was just over that quick."
Jason Coleman, chief for the Miller Hose Fire Company, says the department received between 15 and 20 calls for a variety of emergencies just after 3 p.m. Thursday.
"All kind of simultaneously," Coleman said. "A lot of trees down wires down, services out at houses, trees down on houses."
Miller Hose Fire Co. responded to multiple trees blocking Route 78, creating a significant detour for drivers during the rush-hour commute.
Dozens of trees were toppled by the storm as were several telephone poles. National Grid was on scene repairing hundreds of feet of electric wires that became tangled in trees and debris, leaving the neighborhood without power.
Jonathan Schultz, the emergency services director for Niagara County, told 2 On Your Side that he had been in contact with the national weather service. He says the service believes a "very impressive downburst" swept through the neighborhood, causing all of the damage.
However, no tornadic activity was recorded.
According to Chief Coleman, no injuries were reported in the homes that had trees fall on them in Newfane along Rt. 78. None of the residents along Shadigee Road that 2 On Your Side spoke with suffered any injuries either.