(WKTV) - Thousands of miles from Hurricane Ike's start, the storm wreaked havoc on homes and roads throughout central New York, and because of it, thousands were left without power Monday night.

Many looked to police officers for direction as traffic lights remained as dark as many homes.

Residents on Calvert Street in Rome saw brush fall nearby, but away from their houses. Others weren't so lucky - like those living in a Trenton Road home in Utica where a tree fell right onto the house.

Those residents can at least move, while the same isn't true for the Leones in Utica whose two cars are buried under trees. Thankfully, no one was hurt, mainly because the damage was done so early in the day.

And the Leones were just one family of many to find damage in their own yards.

"I heard a little crack," said Ernie Durse, an East Utica resident, who found a fallen tree in his yard. "I came back outside, looked out front, and never thought of looking out back."

Now Durse estimates three weeks will pass before the fallen tree is completely removed. But he feels lucky, having seen coverage of storm damage at its worst in Galveston and Houston.