CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As crews wrap up clean-up efforts from last Sunday's winter storm, they’re also prepping for what may come this weekend. Some of the damage seen includes downed trees and power lines, keeping tree companies and roofing businesses occupied.
“The ice weighs down the branches and then with these older trees it’ll come down and go through the roof," said Charles Twomley with H & S Roofing.
Twomley responded to an emergency call at a home in south Charlotte where a limb fell on a roof. He said it's been a busy week for him to respond to calls. On top of that, roofs can’t be repaired until both the ice and snow melt away.
“Some definite good tips are to make sure you keep your branches pruned and trimmed because when ice forms on it it’ll weigh down and break," he said.
A few other tips from experts – have your trees inspected, clean out your gutters, and if you have a lot of heavy, old trees around your home, consider staying with a friend. Another tree expert said fungi growing on a tree can also be a red flag.
CLEAN UP EFFORTS CONTINUE
People who specialize in tree care also agree that paying attention to branches is crucial. Justin Roope with Justin's Tree Service said his biggest call came in on Sunday night when a tree went through a family's living room.
“There was a gentleman inside who was also doing what we were doing – watching football," said Roope, "and this tree came crashing through his living room, almost right on top of him. It's a blessing he walked out of there alive.”
With more winter weather expected this Friday, Roope and his team are prepared to do more work on similar jobs.
“We started loading up on materials we might need just in case," he said. "We always expect the worst. Regardless, we always have to be prepared. You never know what you’ll come across.”
PREPPING FOR MORE POTENTIAL WINTER WEATHER
Duke Energy said as of Tuesday night, power restorations have been completed in all affected areas. Logan Kureczka, a spokesperson for the utility provider, said its meteorologists are carefully monitoring the weather on Friday, though it’s still too early to know exactly what we’ll see.
“We did retain some of our resources [from last Sunday,]" said Kureczka, "So some of our crews that came in from the Midwest and from Florida, and we had some workers from other companies that came in from out of state to join us, so we've kept some of them around.”
READY TO RESPOND
The biggest concern is ice; even a quarter of an inch of rain can cause ice to build up on tree limbs and power lines, weighing them down.
“Across the Carolinas, we have powerline crews, we have tree crews, other storm personnel, we actually have vegetation workers who assess the trees and kind of how they're hanging," said Kureczka, "So we're ready to safely respond no matter what happens.”
Kureczka said people should have bottled water, batteries, and flashlights just in case there are power outages.
Contact Indira Eskieva at ieskieva@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram.