Severe Storms Could Spell The End For Popular North Shore Fruit Farm

WADING RIVER, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The powerful winds from Tuesday's storm brought down trees and power lines, leaving behind a mangled mess.

PSEG said all 82,000 customers affected by the storm have had their power restored.

Crews will be making repairs through the weekend and next week, which means some customers could briefly lose power.

While the lights are back on, farm owners are worried that the storm may shut them down for good.

"It breaks your heart. I don't really want to cry, but it does, it breaks your heart," Christine Davis of the Davis Peach Farm told CBS2's Jennifer McLogan.

The Wading River farm is one of the North Shore's oldest family owned, working fruit farms. It suffered devastating losses in Tuesday's freak storm that pummeled parts of Long Island.

"In less than 15 minutes, everything is blown over and gone," Davis said.

She said hailstones pelted fruit, and wind gusts measuring 88 mph tore whole branches from trees.

"It is very sad to see trees like this," Davis said.

Fruit farmer David Davis is 82 years old. The damage may be too much for him to bear.

"My father started in 1910. He died in '48. I took over then," Davis said.

For decades, fruit lovers traditionally came to pick many of the 80 varieties of peaches that grow on the Davis' 64 acres.

The Lambraias from Garden City discovered plums and apricots and some veggies for sale, as visitors learned from the next generation of Davises, about the storm.

"The wind just knocked down all the fruit we were ready to harvest is completely gone. August is prime picking season for everything, especially peaches," Alexander Davis Diaz said.

Now, hundreds of damaged trees have been exposed to disease and insects.

"Nothing to block the wind here except the trees. It is like a plain, everything taking the brunt of the weather and the precipitation was the trees, the branches, the fruit," Michael Pikoulas said.

"No way to recoup. It could be be the end of us," Christine said.

The farm suffered similar blows in Tropical Storm Irene, and Superstorm Sandy. Grants and loans were not forthcoming.