Strong winds knock down tree, cause hundreds of power outages in L.A. 

Powerful winds toppled a large tree on Venice Boulevard on Sunday morning and led to hundreds of LADWP customers losing power. 

According to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, 1,744 customers were without power due to the large tree that fell on Venice Boulevard near Hauser Boulevard in Mid-City. 

As of 9 a.m. Sunday, the tree was still blocking almost the entire eastbound span of Venice Boulevard, something that locals are not used to seeing. 

“It’s very unusual to find [such a big tree] on Venice Boulevard,” said Cedric Moore, who owns an auto body shop across the street from where the tree fell. “The first thing I saw was the sign [on a nearby marquee] that had blown off and was just lying on the ground.” 

“We had an overnight crisis here,” Moore told KTLA 5’s Annie Rose Ramos. 

Moore said that when he left work on Saturday night, he had no idea that gusty winds would be affecting him on Sunday. 

“It was very calm [last night] and there was no sign of wind at all,” he said. “And just like that, we have this situation.” 

According to Moore, a person experiencing homelessness had been living under the now-fallen tree for over two years. However, he did not see them on Sunday morning. 

“He was right in the middle there, and I assume that [officials] told him to clear out,” he said. “I think that it wouldn’t be just yellow tape for the tree, but for a casualty too.” 

As of 9:45 a.m. Sunday, there was no timetable for when the tree would be removed or when power would be restored, but LADWP’s outage map confirmed that crews were working at the scene to get power back up and running.