Hurricane set off short-lived crime spree

Hurricane Matthew didn’t just leave dozens of downed trees in Winter Park and Maitland, it also launched a short-lived crime spree.

Winter Park gave a short briefing of the storm’s aftermath during Monday’s City Commission meeting. The storm took a toll on city trees, knocking down 27 throughout the city. Two of those trees fell outside the same house along Spruce Avenue, with one of them crashing down onto the home itself and causing damage to the roof.

Fourteen additional trees were compromised as a result of the storm and will be cut down over the next few days, City Manager Randy Knight said. The city counted 38 large tree limbs that fell and blocked roads and sidewalks as well.

Only five homes were reported suffering significant damage during the storm, but they were hit hard, totaling more than $235,000 in needed repairs. No one was reported injured during the hurricane.

Power outages meanwhile affected 1,800 residents in Winter Park, though the city managed to restore power fairly quickly. That number was just a small fraction of the 40,000 residents who lost power throughout Orange County.

Winter Park also saw its share of crime during the hurricane. Police arrested three suspects accused of committing car burglaries along Lakemont and Aloma avenues and attempting to flee in a stolen car Thursday night. Another suspect arrested on Friday has been charged with a separate slew of car burglaries in the city.

“They probably thought it was a good time to come in and burglarize cars, but they didn’t realize we had three times as many police officers out there as we normally do,” Knight said.

Beyond its own city limits, Winter Park also sent two ambulances to Brevard County on Wednesday to help evacuate hospitals and move patients further inland. Another ambulance was sent to St. Johns County

City Commissioner Greg Seidel commended the city for preparing as much as it did.

“One of the things people have asked me is if we were over-prepared for it,” Seidel said. “Anyone here during Charlie knows that you cannot be over-prepared for these things. Everything that was done was done for caution. The fact that everything went as well as it did was a testament to how well we prepared for it.”

Maitland also held a short briefing on Monday to review the damages. During the time the Maitland Emergency Operations Center was open, they received four calls regarding trees and 12 calls regarding downed power lines. One car accident occurred, but no one was reported injured during the storm, said Fire Chief Kim Neisler on Monday. In preparation for the hurricane, the city also handed out 3,100 sandbags to residents.

“We spent a lot of time preparing for the storm in terms of ensuring that the city was ready and informing our citizens, making sure everyone understood the significance of the storm and what to do,” Maitland Assistant Fire Chief Charles Van Camp said. “We were very lucky that we didn’t get a direct hit.”