Tree Clean up in Chattanooga

Storms keeping everyone busy in Chattanooga

On Monday around two O’clock in the afternoon two tornadoes touched down in Hixson, Red Bank and Chattanooga. Approximately 47000 people were left without power, the worst outage EPB has seen in 30 years.John Crider was one of the first guys to arrive on the scene in North Chattanooga where a major part of the damage had occurred. Many of the trees were 100 plus year old trees in the area. Taking out power lines, sheds, and houses.

Close call with tree

We responded to a tree that had claimed three vehicles as their victims. There was only one vehicle occupied at the time the tree fell on them, yet the tree crushed the back of their vehicle and they walked away fine.We are thankful for the work that we have been getting from this storm. Yet, we are praying for the families that are affected in a detrimental way. The Weather Channel is calling for more storms this weekend. Hopefully we can get everything cleaned up before the next ones hit.

Tree damage slows response time

We have been responding to phone calls and e-mails for the past 48 plus hours, and have many more situations to continue to assess. We have gotten word that some companies are scheduling clean up for as much as 30 days out. We are not yet at that capacity and are working to clean up in an as necessary basis. Structure damage and safety hazards are receiving first priority.Here are some pictures from the storm damage on McFarland Ave. in North Chattanooga. You can also see the front page of the Chattanooga Times Free Press for 3/1/2011 for more information. Tree Clean up in Chattanooga.Here is the direct link to what Mindy, a local, soon to be deli owner wrote to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The pictures of the crushed cars on our other blog post were the ones that Mindy’s family had crushed. We were just glad that we could help someone out, and thankful that no one was hurt in the vehicles.http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2011/mar/03/letters-editor/#share

Mindy B - I would like to share a story of everyday heroes in the midst of the storm. The oak in the front yard of my parents’ North Chattanooga home came crashing down on both of their vehicles as well as a young couple’s vehicle who were on their way home nearby. There is so much to be thankful for; we are thankful that the couple was not severely injured. I thank the friends and neighbors who worked to clear the tree that blocked the roadway as well as comfort my mother, the strangers who appeared and offered a hand, and the Chattanooga Police Department who checked in on the situation many times, always concerned that everyone was all right. And perhaps most of all, our “tree angels,” who showed up on the scene and jumped right in to help us clear the tree, no questions asked, and asking for nothing in return. My parents lost material belongings but we all gained much more. I grew up in North Chattanooga and always knew it was a special neighborhood but now that is all reconfirmed. People do care about others and give of themselves to prove it. Thank you all!