Imagine rotten limbs and dead trees being blown hundreds of yards into power lines, or into your own home. It happened with Isabel and can again.
By TAMARA LUSH
Published June 6, 2004
[AP photo]
Barbara Wisniewski-Robinson reacts to the latest storm damage at her home as she and her husband, Darrell, survey the damage to their vehicles in Richmond, Va., Sept. 23, 2003. Two trees fell on their house from Hurricane Isabel a week before this incident.
ST. PETERSBURG - John Whitney, an arborist for Progress Energy, can pinpoint the exact location of the problem trees in the city.
There's the stand of fast-growing palm trees at 58th Street and Third Avenue S, near Woodlawn Cemetery. There's the cluster of pines near an apartment building on 43rd Street. Then there's the tangle of Australian pines at 54th Avenue and First Street N.
"Just horrible conditions," said Whitney.
These are the rogue trees, the ones Whitney would worry about if a hurricane struck. They would likely fall, down power lines and touch off massive power outages. Experts in Tampa worry about the same thing.
"Our community is just covered by a pretty, lush canopy and trees," said Ross Bannister, spokesman for Tampa Electric Co. "We have palm fronds coming down over our lines. They are significant causes of outages."
As hurricane season begins, emergency management officials, arborists and power companies are urging property owners to take a look at their trees and trim them if necessary.
"In terms of preventing damage to your home and improving our ability to restore power, it's critical that everybody properly maintain and trim their trees prior to hurricane season," said Michelle Baker, emergency management director of Pasco County.
Uprooted trees, downed limbs and the cleanup of all the debris was one of the largest - and costliest - problems during Hurricane Isabel last September.
"We were stunned by seeing the amount of trees that had been blown down by hurricane-force winds and thrown hundreds of yards into our power lines," said Jim Norvelle, a spokesman for the Old Dominion Electric Cooperative in Virginia.
Cleanup of those trees is still ongoing, he said.
Of course, the first thing people should do is make sure their families have an evacuation plan and a hurricane kit ready in case a big storm strikes.
But after that, said Citrus County Emergency Management Director Jim Soukup, trying to mitigate property damage should be a top priority for homeowners.
"Look at your trees," he advised. "If there's any rotten limbs, get rid of them immediately."
Thomas Leto, the emergency management director in Hernando County, recently got rid of a tall, dead tree on his property. He was worried that any "wind event" - hurricane, tornado, furious thunderstorm - would bring the tree crashing down on his home.
"Get the trees trimmed," Leto said. "Do it before the start of the season and do it each year. I would make the investment, because it's money well spent."
That strategy may be fine in rural Citrus and Hernando counties, but in urban areas, such as Tampa and St. Petersburg, homeowners may have to get permits to trim or cut down trees, said Larry Gispert, director of Hillsborough County Emergency Management.
"Just don't go out and rent a chain saw and start hacking away at your 100-year-old tree," he said.
Call city building officials, he suggested. And if the tree is near a power line, call the people at your local power company. Sometimes, they will trim those trees for you, or suggest a licensed tree trimming contractor whom you can call. Most power companies, such as Progress Energy, have a three-year tree trimming schedule, where arborists and licensed trimmers shave foliage and limbs away from the power lines.
Still, homeowners can help themselves.
"Our recommendation is that people keep the overhang of trees away from the home," said Gary Vickers, director of Pinellas County Emergency Management. "Obviously if they break and fall, they're going to come down over the roof."
Damaged limbs often fall during the season's first mild storm. But it's still a good idea to check the health of your trees - and remember to secure anything else in your yard before hurricane season.
"Anything that can be picked up by the wind can be a missile," said Hillsborough County's Gispert.
After a hurricane, "the removal of debris can be a mammoth problem," he said.
"Trees, telephone poles, power poles, travel trailers, boats. ... Anything that can be picked up and blown away just adds to the problem."
Tamara Lush can be reached at 727 893-8612 or at lush@sptimes.com
[Last modified June 2, 2004, 13:34:41]
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