By Brittney Matejka

Medicine Hat works on the clean-up following Tuesday’s wind storm

Oct 19, 2017 | 5:21 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB. – Following Tuesdays wind storm, trees across Medicine Hat have toppled over and are keeping city crews busy with the clean-up. Randy Taves, Manager of Parks said the clean-up is well underway.

“It’s been quite a task, we’re currently reviewing about 100 trees, to try and determine if they are private or pubic trees and trying to assess the hazard if we can leave them and go to the higher priority items,” he explained.

Taves said uprooted trees from the initial storm aren’t the only problem, there have been more trees falling after the storm.

“We’ve had some that didn’t fall down the other night but just in the recent night they did fall down, so even those 40 kilometre winds is all it took in the end to blow them over,” he explained.

HERE'S WHAT TO KNOW

Summer pool hours extended and discounts applied as Big Marble Go Centre upgrades start

Apr 18, 2024

Medicine Hat company drawing in clients with witty signage

Apr 16, 2024

Medicine Hat College holding event for missing and murdered Indigenous women awareness day

Apr 16, 2024

Spruce trees in particular, have contributed to the largest number of calls said Taves.

“The foliage on them, they’re like a big sail and they don’t have a strong root system and they don’t take much to fall over,” he explained.

He cautions the public to be aware of the trees around them, city crews are trying to work quickly to clean up the debris but everyone needs to be aware of their own safety.

“If they’re in public areas, parks or even in their own private homes to have a look around and assess some of their own tree situations,” he explained.

If the public does identify a tree as posing a danger, Taves urges residents to report the tree to the city.

“They should contact our department so we can do an assessment first to make sure it is a public tree, that’s the first thing. Then if it is a public tree, we’ll establish a priority for it and tackle it as soon as we can. If it is a low priority item, it will just have to wait as we have so many trees out there right now,” he said.

Taves said they have 30 employees working on the tree clean-up and he estimates it will take a few months to clear away the fallen trees and debris.