After Wednesday's powerful windstorm knocked down many trees in the Helena area, crews are hard at work helping community members clean up the damage.
Christopher Smith, Owner of Tree Professional, and his team are one of many tree companies around Helena assessing and removing damaged trees. He has received around 40 calls for assistance into Thursday morning and knows how important it is to respond with urgency in situations like this.
"Then you see these trees on the houses and stuff, and I know that I can get in there with my equipment and get these trees safely off houses," Smith said.
In high wind situations that cause widespread tree damage, special equipment is usually needed, like bucket trucks and grapple trucks, to get trees away from structures safely and efficiently.
Caryn Scow was one homeowner who lost multiple trees in her yard. She is saddened by the loss of her trees but is relieved to see the work that Smith and his team accomplished.
"My kids grew up with those trees. I grew up with those trees. And so, yes, it was very disheartening to see them go. But for safety concerns, I am grateful they're gone now," Scow said.
In the same neighborhood, one home has a tree leaning directly on the roof. Another tree is being held up only by a power line.
Smith says Helena's tree companies are all working together to help everyone who needs it.
"I mean, there's a lot of good tree companies here in town. So we're all going to, you know, get everything done that we can and help everybody out," Smith said.
But the most important thing communities around Montana can do is help out their neighbors.
