By Sara Wood
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/whqr/local-whqr-984017.mp3
Wilmington, NC – As some residents wait for power to be restored, others trudge on with lawn blowers and chain saws to clear trees and debris from their own yards. WHQR's Sara Wood reports that fallen trees and debris have created dangerous obstacles for residents.
Several Wilmington neighborhoods are littered with downed trees and debris as the city works to discard of Irene's aftermath.
One resident, Joe Cloherty, was helping to remove a pine that had fallen from a yard over a busy roadway and that's when he heard a snap.
"I turned and I saw this limb. It was just a microsecond, I think but it was like boom. So I saw stars. And I walked up to their house, and I said to them, Do I have a problem?' And they said, Yeah, you've got a problem.'"
After a trip to an urgent care center, Cloherty left with 10 stitches above his left eye, and is now recovering.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, emergency officials across the Cape Fear region are urging residents to exercise caution as clean up continues even when situations seem harmless.
As the City of Wilmington removes debris, officials are asking residents not to mix limbs and leaves with household trash, and to place small items in containers or bags at the curb instead of blowing them into the streets or storm drains.