By ERICA ESTEP
6 News Reporter
FOUNTAIN CITY (WATE) - One Fountain City neighborhood was hit especially hard during Tuesday night's storms.
Tree trimming crews were having a tough time getting to people who needed help with downed trees because so many roads were blocked.
The sounds of chainsaws were heard throughout Fountain City Wednesday as crews scrambled to clean up the mess.
"Oh, I'm glad to be alive and not hurt, have a nice home still," said John Davis, whose Kesterwood Drive home was damaged.
Until Tuesday night, Davis' home had been surrounded by old, massive trees for the 31 years he's lived there.
"We saw all these trees moving, shaking, moving," recalled Davis, "shaking like I've never seen before. Then all of a sudden there was a thud, thud."
Two trees crashed through the roof. Inside Davis' home, you could see water dripping into a back bedroom and tree limbs that smashed their way inside.
Tree specialist Jim Cortese, of Cortese Tree Specialists, says it's these kinds of jobs that become a priority when his business is slammed with calls.
"We take people that are old clients, trees that are hazards, trees that are potentially hazards, trees such as this one here that's through the house," he said.
Cortese says the larger, more mature trees are more likely to fall under the conditions Fountain City residents experienced Tuesday.
"Even if a tree is in perfectly good health, but it's got an extremely soggy root zone, the wind catches it and lays the tree over," he said. "In this case we had almost tornado-like winds and big gusts."
Just driving into the Fountain City neighborhood was like finding your way through a maze of downed trees, damaged homes, and tangled power lines.
Residents say they hope they won't have to dodge the hazards for too long, especially with more bad weather on the way.
Cortese Tree Specialists already had 30 appointments set up by lunch time Wednesday.
If your need is not an emergency, be prepared to wait. Cortese also warned to be careful who you hire. Never pay up front and make sure the tree trimmers have workman's comp insurance. Otherwise, you'll be responsible if the workers get hurt on the job.
Tree trimming crews were having a tough time getting to people who needed help with downed trees because so many roads were blocked.
