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Strong storm causes damages, power outages in northern Utah

Posted at 6:05 PM, Apr 22, 2014
and last updated 2014-04-23 21:11:58-04

SALT LAKE CITY -- "It was blasting things off the trees and into the yard and knocked slats off my fence and I'm thinking this is pretty bad,” said Brad Gregory of Sugar House.

But things got worse for Gregory when a large branch snapped off of his neighbor’s tree and crashed through his car.

“It’s a mess, and there was nothing wrong with this tree; I swear that was a powerful, powerful gust of wind,” Gregory said.

Gregory's house was just one of several clean up stops for tree removal businesses working in Salt Lake County Wednesday.

The gusts knocked down trees and left yards covered with debris, which crews have been out cleaning up since Tuesday night. But trees weren't the only thing to come down: The wind was so strong it toppled power poles, and the lack of electricity is making it hard for one business to get anything done.

“We can’t use the phones, we can’t use the tools, we can’t even open some of the doors,” said Justin Baxter, Manager Lancer Automotive Group. “It’s dark. It’s cold. We got no heat, but we’re working, doing our best to help our customers.”

Justin Baxter and thousands of other Salt Lake County residents still don't have power.

“I had a guy come pick up his car but couldn’t because nothing is working to be able to fix it,” Baxter said.

As of just before 7 p.m. Wednesday, Rocky Mountain Power’s website stated that 2,360 customers in Salt Lake City were without power due to the storms. Another 867 customers in West Valley City, zip code 84120, were also without power. Click here for the most up to date information on power outages from Rocky Mountain Power.