Capital Region prepares for a stormy weekend

CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. (NEWS10) -Agencies across the Capital Region are preparing for the threat of severe weather on Sunday. Clean-up efforts have been ongoing following Thursday's powerful storms.

In parts of Albany's Washington Park, trees were uprooted and blocking paths and benches on Saturday. The Department of General Services works to clean the city while homeowners with troubling yards can contact tree servicers.

"Make the right call and stay away from these trees. When they come down, making sure that if there’s any high-voltage power lines involved that you’re calling the proper authorities and staying away from these dangerous situations," said Jeremy Sporbeck, Owner of Trail Based Tree Service.

National Grid already has additional crews waiting for a potential Sunday storm. A spokesperson told NEWS10's Anthony Krolikowsi that any outages reported on Thursday and Friday have already been restored. As of Saturday evening, there were still two dozen active outages in the Capital Region affecting almost 7,000 customers. Anyone experiencing a power outage is urged to contact National Grid to ensure crews can respond quickly.

Sporbeck says when he responds to trees falling on homes, cars, and yards, he and his equipment need to be ready to properly respond. "We’re dealing with super-saturated soils and you could have things sink and get stuck. We have to watch out for trees that have already fallen and broken and it creates what’s called tension wood; Where something could break and strike an employee."

"The biggest mindset is just to be positive: Drinking lots of water, making sure we're eating our meals three times a day, getting enough rest. And rest is the biggest thing," described Sporbeck.