Across the Midwest and the local area, severe storms wreacked havoc on Monday, June 30, 2014. Extreme lightning, blinding rain, and high winds left at least one Iowa man dead, when his building collapsed on him. The storm grounded airplanes, caused considerable building and tree damage, and left many residents without power. Flooding continues today, Tuesday, July 1.
These Morrison, IL, residents shared the aftermath of wind damage that split a soft maple tree in half and smashed it onto their neighboring roofs. Henry (Diana) Emerson, left, resides at 400 S. Cherry Street, on the southeast corner of E. Park Street.
Nathan Vandermyde (Ashley Kolar) lives at 402 S. Cherry. The damaged tree is Emerson’s, but Vandermyde owns a companion maple a few yards to the south. They are very old and very tall specimens.
Both men agreed on the approximate time last night when the tree tore in half and descended: between 8:00 and 8:15 p.m. It would have been impossible to ignore.
By early Tuesday afternoon, Ryan’s Tree Service, Inc., 23454 Emerson Road, Sterling, IL, had a crew of six in place to clean away the debris. S. Cherry Street, between E. Park and E. South Street, was blocked to traffic, so Gene Ryan and his staff could park their numerous pieces of equipment.
This view to the south also shows towering maples that line S. Cherry.
Three generations of Ryans were at the service of Emerson and Vandermyde this day, including son Brett and 14-year-old grandson, Derick. First they stabilized the broken bough by attaching cable from a crane.
“I started looking for rain leaks [in the attic],” Emerson stated. His insurance agent, Keith Frederick of More Insurance, 309 N. Genesee Street, Morrison, had been there earlier. Emerson pointed where the tree had landed on his roof and slid down and where the gutter was bent and torn from the roof edge.
“My central air conditioner is under there [the mess of limbs],” he added.
After a lot of the branches had been cut by Gene Ryan and removed to the center of S. Cherry Street by his men, Emerson could see the badly dented AC unit.
When asked if Ryan would take down the entire tree or just the damaged half, Emerson was unsure. “The tree on the west side of the sidewalk is on the right-of-way. It is the City’s property.” Ryan is contracted with the City of Morrison to remove such trees.
Vandermyde stated, “I was hoping it didn’t poke a hole in the roof. It took out gutters and the overhang, but [there are] no holes in the roof.” He believes the damage was caused by “high winds, not lightning. There is no scorching” to indicate the latter. His insurance agent was to come that afternoon to assess the damage.
Within a few hours the damaged wood would be removed. Emerson’s tree limbs would become mulch for someone’s garden beds. The repair process to these homes had begun.
