Cary couple's worrisome trees taken down by Duke crew before storm

One Cary couple and their neighbors don't have to worry about either occurrence after a Durk Energy crew took down two trees Wednesday that hung precariously close to some power lines since Hurricane Florence blew through a month ago.

The two trees at John and Johnnie Johnson's home were marked with ribbons by Duke in the past year, slated for removal because they were so close to the power lines. But nothing happened, even after Florence left one tree even closer to the lines.

"The tree was leaning on the power lines, over the power lines, the sidewalk and the street a little bit," Johnnie Johnson said.

The Johnsons called Duke repeatedly to tell them about the problem. They also called Cary officials, who had a crew put yellow tape and cones around the trees.

"I told them it could fall and hit someone on the sidwalk and kill them. It could fall on a car passing by and kill somebody," John Johnson said.

With Hurricane Michael on the way, their concern grew, so WRAL News called Duke, which sent a crew within a few hours to take the trees down.

"It's really a relief to us both," Johnnie Johnson said.

"I won't have to pray tonight. I always say a prayer with that tree hanging up there," John Johnson said.

Tree crews said Wednesday that they have been slammed since Florence trying to help homeowners clean up and get ready for Michael. But Duke officials said the trees on the Johnson property became a priority because of their proximity to the power lines.