Jul 25, 2008 8:02 am US/Eastern
N.H. Crews, Homeowners Face Daunting Task
EPSOM, N.H. (WBZ) ―
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WBZ photojournalist Dominick Aielli took this picture of the damage in Alton, New Hampshire
Dominick Aielli/WBZ
The major roads leading to Northwood Lake are closed to traffic. We had to hike in through a maze of downed trees, utility poles, and power lines. Crews were hard at work, doing what they could to make the road passable, but it's a daunting task.
Homeowners are doing their own cleanup. We spoke with one man who watched the storm roll through his back yard.
"All of a sudden, I went deaf," said Richard Murray. "I said, 'Ma, run!' because it was right here," he said pointing to the sky. "We're not in Kansas anymore!"
He lives less than a mile from the collapsed home where a woman was killed. "Within three to five seconds it was here and gone, but I could hear it coming through the woods. It kept building up and building up and I said, 'That's no severe storm. That's a tornado.'"
The American Red Cross has set up a shelter at Epsom's Elementary School, but very few people were there when we stopped by. One woman said she needs a medical machine to help her breath. She, like so many others, is without power. State officials say it will be days before electricity is restored to this region.
New Hampshire Governor John Lynch is appealing to the federal government for help. FEMA crews are expected to tour the area Friday.
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