Cleanup is still underway in Simsbury after a microburst tore through an area of town last week, and now the race is on to clear storm drains before the next round of storms this week.
Cleanup is still underway in Simsbury after a microburst tore through an area of town last week, and now the race is on to clear storm drains before the next round of storms this week.
Tom Roy, the director of the town’s public works department said cleanup will take a week to 10 days longer.
“It’s been a long process,” Roy said. “There was a lot of damage on Friday, but we’ve made huge progress over the last couple of days.”
He said his crews are busy cleaning up roads and will need residents to help clean catch basins in their neighborhoods.
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“Because our crews have been so busy with the storm cleanup, we’re not able to do some of our normal routine maintenance,” he said. “If you have a storm drain in front of your house and you notice it’s filled with leaves and debris, if you can do us a favor this time around and help us clean it out, it’s going to help protect your neighborhood as well.”
More showers and thunderstorms are expected on Tuesday night and a flood watch is in effect for some areas.
Rain is expected Thursday through Saturday night, and is expected to be heavy at times as Tropical Storm Debby heads north.
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Tree experts like arborist Joseph Bernardi of Brothers’ Tree Service recommends that homeowners take a close look at the trees on their property before severe weather hits.
“With the ground being saturated, there’s a lot of dead trees out there already, and it doesn’t take much for them to become laden with water and soggy ground giving way and the trees will fall,” Bernardi said. “You look for missing bark on trees, mushrooms that are either on the trees or on the ground, missing leaves which would indicate the tree being dead.”
He added that if you’re unsure, it’s always a good idea to have a licensed arborist come out and inspect trees on your property.
“There’s the ground being saturated, but if you add wind to a very wet tree…the trees already loaded with acorns this time of year, hickory nuts, add the rain which will be thousands of pounds more, then a little bit of wind…the big lever of the wind will just wreak havoc on even the healthiest of tree,” he said.
“Trees, unfortunately, aren’t a hazard until they are. People don’t realize the capability and the weight associated with tens of thousands of pounds hanging over their structures.”
