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Intense storm fells several trees in town LISA TALLYN and EAMONN MAHER Staff Writers The brief but powerful storm that blew through Halton Hills Monday night downed tree limbs and knocked out hydro in various locations right across the town. Halton Hills Hydro (HHH) president Dan Guatto said there were lots of power outages, caused mostly by trees and limbs on power lines, and two lightning strikes that hit transformers. "Four poles were down on Winston Churchill Blvd., all due to wind," said Guatto. He said all of HHH's line staff was called in after the storm. "They worked throughout the night, some were still here this morning (Tuesday)," said Guatto. He said hydro was out in various locations for varying lengths of time, mostly in the rural areas, but expected all power to be restored by 4 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday). "Customers have been good for the most part. They have been understanding," said Guatto. Town of Halton Hills Manager of Public Works Ted Drewlo said five extra staff members worked through early Tuesday morning removing tree branches from driveways and roads. "It was everywhere," said Drewlo. He said trees or limbs were down on Berry St., Acton, Davis Cr., Georgetown, Fallbrook Trail, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Lines, and Clayhill Rd. He said the calls started coming in at approximately 9:30 p.m. Drewlo said staff spent most of the day Tuesday cleaning up from the storm. Murray Anderson of Quality Tree Service received about 80 calls after the storm from people with uprooted trees and downed limbs. "The phone started ringing after 10:30 p.m. last night (Monday) and it hasn't stopped," said Anderson Tuesday afternoon. He said the Glen Williams and Georgetown area were the hardest hit areas. "It hasn't been this bad for a couple of years," said Anderson. Halton Hills firefighters received eight calls related to the storm, including a transformer fire, downed power lines and alarm activations. Residents along a stretch of Prince Charles Drive in Georgetown were shaken by at least one direct lightning strike at around 10 p.m. Monday at the home of Amanda and Paul Reynolds. Amanda said she heard a tremendously loud bang and saw some branches on the ground, but didn't realize a large maple on her front lawn had been struck by lightning, splitting the 30year-old tree in two. Strong winds were the cause of several fallen trees and hundreds of branches in Glen Williams. The sound of chain saws and wood chippers grinding away were prevalent through most of Tuesday . Mountain Street resident Samuel Southworth was relieved that his girlfriend had just made it home when the storm first blew in, but watched helplessly as a large maple branch crashed down on top of his months-old Honda Civic, causing extensive damage. "My girlfriend came home and told me it was starting to rain, so I opened the front door to grab a towel from outside, and I saw the branch fall right then," Southworth said. Dozens of trees were damaged or blown down completely in Glen Williams during Monday's thunderstorm and this 2006 Honda Civic parked in a Mountain St. driveway suffered yet-to-be-determined damage by a huge maple tree branch. Vehicle owner Sam Southworth said his girlfriend had just walked up the driveway a couple of minutes prior to the branch falling and he witnessed its fall onto the roof of his car. Several lightning strikes were also witnessed in the area. (Right) A large tree was also toppled on Princess Anne Drive Monday. Surveying the scene were, from left, Nathalie Robson, Gwyn Evans, Matthew Reynolds and Pauline Robson. Top photo by Sam Southworth Right photo by Eamonn Maher