By Robin GOLDSWORTHY

Gusty winds toppled trees and interrupted power in several neighborhoods in the foothill community overnight Thursday, Nov. 11.

Two cars parked in the driveway of a home in the 4100 block of Lauderdale Avenue suffered major damage after a pine tree crashed onto them, smashing windshields and crushing the chassis.

The homeowner’s son, William Puopolo, said that he was getting ready for work at about 5:00 a.m. when he heard “a thud.”

“I hesitated, to grab something for work, when I heard a thud outside,” Puopolo said. He then walked to the living room window that looks out onto the front lawn where the tree had stood. The tree had upended, with the roots exposed, leaving a gaping hole in the Puopolo lawn.

After reviewing the damage, he said that he felt a little “freaked out.”

“I could’ve been dead if I had been sitting in that truck,” he said.

The family planted the tree about 35 years ago and it stood approximately 35 feet tall. It fell southward, narrowly missing the home of neighbor Roly Quizon.

“[My wife and I] were sleeping when we heard a crash,” said Quizon. “We thought it was something from the freeway.” The tree punched a hole into the roof of the Quizon garage, the branches brushing against an outside wall of his house. The couple was sleeping just on the other side of that wall.

Seeing the extent of damage to the Puoplos, Quizon knows how lucky he is.  “Thank God it’s just some property damage,” he said.

Bonnie Bartling, weather specialist with the National Weather Service, said that a wind advisory has been issued for the foothill area until 3:00 p.m. today. The winds are coming out of the north/northeast at 20-30 MPH with possible gusts of 50 MPH.

Dave Ford, spokesman for Southern California Edison, said that at 5:30 a.m. the winds blew down a cross arm in the 3100 block of Harmony Avenue. It initially affected 2,300 homes, but by 8:30 a.m. all but four houses had power restored.

Glendale Water and Power was out in the foothill community, looking for damage and making repairs. Puoplo said that the city of Glendale is supposed to send a crane out to lift the tree off his cars and that at least one guy is going to benefit from the downed pine.

“I have a buddy in Lancaster,” Puopolo said. “He has a wood burning stove and wants all of the wood.”