Collapse Risk Halts Rescue—Cats Still Inside

A storm-battered Westbury home became a rescue scene when a tree smashed into the house and left dozens of foster cats trapped inside.

Quick Take

Local reports say a large oak fell on Wendy Kimball’s Westbury home during Monday night storms.
The house was later declared unsafe to occupy, which limited rescue access.
Rescuers said some cats got out, but many remained inside after the damage.
The exact cat count still varies across reports, even though the core event is clear.

Tree Crash Turns a Home Into an Emergency Scene

Wendy Kimball said the storm hit fast and violent, then a tree came down on her Oakdale Drive home in Westbury. Local reports said the tree struck the rear of the house and crashed through the roof while family members got out safely. One report said Kimball’s brother was inside when the tree fell, and he suffered only minor injuries.

The damage did not stop at the first impact. Reporters said the roof and wall later gave way after rescuers had already been forced to back off, which made the scene even more dangerous. The Town of North Hempstead said the structure was unsafe to occupy, and that anyone entering before a proper evaluation could risk injury or death.

Rescuers Worked Against a Dangerous Collapse Risk

Animal rescuers and volunteers rushed to help Kimball’s cats, but they could only do so much before the home became too unstable. Patch reported that rescuer John DeBacker pulled nine cats from the house before the evacuation order, and that part of the wall collapsed in after crews left. News reports also said the town was waiting on an engineer’s review before more access could be granted.

That safety barrier matters because the cats were not just loose in the house. Kimball said she fosters medically fragile cats, and another report said she kept more than three dozen cats in the home. News 12 and ABC7 both described a frantic effort to reach trapped animals, with one outlet saying only part of the cats had been removed by Tuesday.

What Is Clear, and What Still Differs

The main facts are not in dispute. A tree fell on the Westbury home during strong storms, the house took major damage, and animals were still trapped when rescue work stalled. The reports also line up on the central reason the effort slowed: the building was considered unsafe to enter until a structural review could be completed. That is why the story became both a storm-damage case and an animal-rescue emergency.

The part that remains less certain is the exact number of cats involved. Reports used different counts, including dozens, roughly three dozen, and 37 cats, while others said fewer than a third had been removed. That kind of spread is common in fast-moving breaking news, but it still leaves a gap in the public record. For readers, the bigger lesson is simple: a storm, a fallen tree, and a failed roof turned one Westbury home into a scene where safety rules took over immediately.