St. Paul Residents Clean Up After Friday's Storm

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Tree branches, stumps and limbs clutter many Twin Cities neighborhoods.

Now that the rain has stopped, the cleanup has begun.

"It's been devastating for the people here," Bob Vigliaturo, St. Paul resident, said.

The tree in Vigliaturo's front yard fell on his neighbor's home.

Now, just like many Minnesotans, he's counting his blessings that there was no loss of life.

"It's going to cost people money, including the insurance companies," Vigliaturo said.

Here in St. Paul's Longfellow neighborhood, many have already begun stacking things up for removal.

Others will have to wait. Live wires stand in their way.

"Hectic. Just call after call trying to keep up. That's why I'm working on a Sunday evening, "said Craig Thesing.

Thesing has been out for three days, helping people clear trees off their property.

"I noticed a lot of uprooting trees, instead of snapped off ones. I think because the ground is so wet the roots are just giving way as the wind is blowing," Thesing said.

Thesing says people should call for experts to help when the damage is this severe.

"I was just talking with a lady tonight about her husband wanting to do something on the garage and I said, 'I don't know if I'd get up there, you know, there are power lines there and that's usually when you here of people getting hurt after the storm,'" Thesing said.

Officials want people to be careful and let experts clear power lines out the way before beginning to clean up.