Windy, freezing conditions create dangerous situation in Charlotte area

CHARLOTTE — As severe winter weather strikes much of the country, heavy winds and freezing temperatures are cause for concern locally.

In Matthews, a massive tree came toppling down on a home in the early hours of Friday morning.

“I was just waking up to get ready work, then we heard the crack, and then the entire house shake, hearing a bam,” Danielle Marsh, a neighbor, told Channel 9′s Jonathan Lowe.

Marsh said the tree came down right where her neighbor’s bedroom is, fortunately, he was awake.

“We were terrified, cause we thought he was hurt, cause we know that’s the side his bedroom is on,” she said. “Thankfully, he was up, and he was in the other side of the house making breakfast.”

Other neighboring homes were left with holes to be covered by tarps to keep out the frigid air.

Wind gusts reached up to 50 mph in the Charlotte area.

Homeowner Robert Williams told Channel 9′s Almiya White he didn’t expect to start the holiday season with damage from a fallen tree.

“It’s two days from Christmas, you know?” he said. “So, I didn’t expect this, but gotta pay for it.”

Elsewhere in Charlotte, Debra Phillips, founder of Block Love Charlotte, is worried about the cold’s impact on people experiencing homelessness.

“We want to make sure that our neighbors out here know that there is more bed space at the different shelters, that there is transportation through CATS,” she said.

Her team is most concerned about those who plan to stick out the single-digit weather from inside their tents. As temperatures dropped, they handed out gloves, sleeping bags and warm food.

“From frozen hands and hypothermia, all the way down to people with health issues that have decided to try to tough this out,” Phillips said. “Even the ones with pets. This is not the type of weather that you want your loved ones in and we love those that we serve.”

(WATCH BELOW: Over 13,000 without power in Mecklenburg County, Duke Energy reports)

Over 13,000 without power in Mecklenburg County, Duke Energy reports

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