RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from ABC7 New York — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sourcesPETS & ANIMALS Tree falls on Westbury house, trapping dozens of cats inside Wednesday, August 12, 2026 12:36AM Stacey Sager has more on fallen trees on Long Island WESTBURY, Long Island (WABC) -- Storms on Monday brought down a large tree onto a home in Westbury, trapping dozens of cats inside.
The tree fell onto the back of the home on Oakdale Drive around 9 p.m. While the family got out safely, it's believed there were still 37 cats inside the house.
"I missed the tree by this much, and my brother was actually grazed by it in bed," said homeowner Wendy Kimball. "He was taking a nap. My brother is a stroke patient and a cancer patient."
Kimball keeps more than three dozen cats in her home. Animal rescuers removed less than a third of them so far on Tuesday.
"They shut us down because it was unsafe, so we came out, an hour later, that whole roof and wall collapsed," said animal rescuer Deb Oliver.
Kimball said she thought about removing the 70-year-old tree recently, but just couldn't.
"The tree that came down was planted by my father, and my mother was a genealogist, and that's a 'family tree,'" she said.
Meanwhile, tree experts cleaning up the site said several huge trees came up from their giant roots on the block Monday night.
Just up the street, another family's home also took a huge hit. The intense weather that hit earlier this summer has made the ground wetter.
"Normally, storm season is August, September, October; it's been starting early. I mean, we've already had two mini storms actually in June," said Chris Juliano with We Care Tree Service.
But for Kimball, cats like Yogi and Baby Hope and the others now being rescued are her life -- and even more important than a tree.
"Anybody who's an animal lover would understand that they're my children, and they're the reason I get up every day," she said. "It's not our time. And if God wants me to learn a lesson, I've learned it. I'm cutting down every other tree."
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.