'I was stunned'

It was around 10 o’clock Saturday morning and Arlene Lawrence had just finished straightening up the bedroom inside her tri-level house at 11 Golini Drive in Johnston.

Suddenly, Lawrence heard what she called a “strange noise,” so she went upstairs to see if something was wrong.

“I was stunned,” she said while talking with Ben Nascenzi, the town of Johnston’s building inspector, as well as Johnston Fire Department Battalion Chief Tom Marcello and Firefighter Derek LaFazia later that morning. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

Neither could her husband, longtime photojournalist Charles Lawrence, who had just returned to his home in the usually quiet neighborhood from an assignment with the Valley Breeze newspapers.

What the Lawrences discovered was that a huge oak tree in their backyard had crashed down. One of the branches smashed through the plaster ceiling of the bedroom, causing what Nascenzi described as “some serious structural damage.”

That damage, Charles Lawrence later learned, will reportedly take approximately three to four months to repair and cost the couple – who have insurance – $100,000 and perhaps more. The Lawrences will have to use another bedroom in their home until all the necessary repairs have been made.

“It’s amazing what a branch from one tree did here,” Nascenzi said. “That’s one strong tree.”

The lengthy stretch of rainy weather the area has seen of late may have played a role in the incident.

“That tree is 40 or 50 feet tall,” Charles Lawrence said. “It’s 32 inches in diameter ... After talking with some folks about all the rain we’ve had, a number of people have said that all the rain we’ve had gets under the roots and that could very well have caused the tree to come crashing down.”

Through all of Saturday’s turmoil and the fallout, the Lawrences have remained calm.

“Arlene and I are thankful to the Johnston Police and Fire departments,” Charles Lawrence said. “They were right there when needed and did a great job in responding to our call.”