TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — People are getting prepared now before more wind and rain roll through the Big Bend.
As the WTXL First Alert Weather team has been saying, a hurricane in this area is not likely this week. For neighbors in Killearn Lakes, it's better to be safe than sorry.
"A lot of trees that are not stable and the roots are rotten, all the rain softens the ground and the trees topple," said Mike Crowley, local homeowner.
Crowley has been in the area long enough to have his fair share of hurricane experiences.
"Michael wasn't so bad, but Irma the year before -- a tree behind our yard not in our yard fell and hit our house. That was very expensive to clean up," said Crowley.
That came with a price tag of about $300, not something he's eager to pay again. That's why he called Bartlett Tree Service.
Chris Renn, who works for Bartlett Tree Service, has been removing roots and shaving stakes all week.
He says a year may have passed but they're still finding signs of Michael.
"It was a very interesting hurricane in the sense that we had a lot of wind damage and because of that we still have structural defects the damage from hurricane we're still finding," said Renn.
Renn encourages people to consider options besides tree removal. His company even does lightning protection to help keep the tree from splitting.
"We're also going to look at any potential defects in the structure of how the tree grows and there's a lot of things we can do as arborists to help the tree structurally," said Renn.
Something Crowley says he definitely recommends, routine upkeep.
"Keep the trees healthier and you know it's been kind of an ongoing thing to keep them trimmed and them healthier and safer," said Crowley. "You can never tell and I don't want to cut them all down."
These guys are nowhere near done yet either. They're working tough, 12-hour days until they can make sure everything is clean and safe.
