Tree still not removed from Mount Vernon home weeks after July 4 storm
A massive tree from a next-door neighbor's property crashed through the side of the Brown family home on Oneida Avenue.
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Nearly a month after a severe July 4 storm battered parts of Westchester County, one Mount Vernon family is still living with the aftermath after a tree smashed into their home, leaving extensive damage in two bedrooms.
A massive tree from a next-door neighbor's property crashed through the side of the Brown family home on Oneida Avenue.
Jada Brown, the daughter of the homeowners, was out celebrating Independence Day when she received an urgent call from her sister.
"I thought she was joking, but then she FaceTimed me and I saw it was really bad," Brown recalled.
Shortly after the incident, the family contacted local police and their insurance provider, State Farm. However, weeks later, the massive tree remains partially lodged inside the home. To make matters worse, recent rain has only worsened the issue.
"Last week, the week before, the rain has been pretty bad, so it was leaking onto my parents' bed," Brown said.
While the family managed to hire workers willing to handle the tree's removal process, Jada says they are stuck waiting for the insurance claim process to advance further.
"State Farm said it was going to take a while to process paperwork and issue the payment for the check," said Brown. "As of right now, we are still waiting for the payment to process."
Jada says the past month was filled with both emotional and financial strain waiting for the tree's removal.
"We know experiencing significant damage to a home can be incredibly stressful, and our priority is helping customers through the claims process with care and support. While we can't discuss the specifics of an individual claim due to our customer privacy policy, we have remained in contact with our customer - as recently as yesterday. We appreciate your outreach and will be following up with our customer again to address any additional questions or information they would like to share," a spokesperson for State Farm wrote in a statement to News 12.
