Tree removal a round the clock job for DPW super during hurricane

By ARIEL WITTENBERG

October 30, 2012 12:00 AM

NEW BEDFORD "A tree could come down at any time," said New Bedford Superintendent of Public Works Kenneth Blanchard as he turned his black Department of Public Facilities SUV onto Arch Street Monday afternoon.

A tree had been completely uprooted and was leaning on the corner of a house across the street. Its 4-foot-wide circle of roots stuck straight up from the pavement, unearthing asphalt and sand. Many of the branches had fallen on a green car below. Shortly after Blanchard arrived, a part of the house's metal cover blew off and with a sound that reverberated down the street as it fell to the ground.

It was 4:30 p.m. Monday and one of New Bedford's three foresting crews was on the scene. Equipped with two chain saws, a bucket truck, backhoe and wood chipper, the four-man crew circulated around the trunk, formulating a plan of action.

"The way to attack a monster like this is to cut off the small pieces first but leave the support pieces," Blanchard said. "Then we'll probably need a crane in here to hold the stalk in place while we take off the pieces leaning on the house."

In addition to the foresting crews, New Bedford's Department of Facilities had more than 40 men working around the clock Monday, dealing with anything Hurricane Sandy left in her wake, from downed trees to downed wires to downed street lights.

As a superintendent, Blanchard's job is to drive to sites across the city where fallen trees might have damaged private property. He photographs the damage before the trees are removed in case residents file insurance claims later.

Blanchard estimated 18-20 whole trees had fallen due to Sandy's winds before 2 p.m. Monday, and he said he expected that number to double by the end of the storm.

"We've had multiple hundreds of calls for limbs down, sandbags, everything else," he said. "The good thing is it hasn't rained much yet. The rain weakens the soil and trees fall easier."

Read more from the original source:
Tree removal a round the clock job for DPW super during hurricane