Neighbors, tree removal companies face storm’s aftermath

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The sound of a chainsaw is not usually what residents near 16th Street and Carrollton Avenue like to hear in the morning.

But Thursday, it was the perfect soundtrack. Tree removal teams used chainsaws, a crane and a wood chipper to get rid of overnight storm debris.

“It’s a relief to see that,” Natisha Cooper said.

“I’m surprised, pleasantly,” John Malooley said. “Just so people can get out of the neighborhood and get to work and run their errands.”

The Treeo removal team started shredding a tree that had fallen on someone’s house. They arrived around 10:30 a.m. and said it was already the third neighborhood they’d worked on Thursday.

Foreman Nick Strode said they’d be cutting trees from garages, cars and power lines until the sun goes down.

“We kind of get to be the hero. We get to come in and help people in situations like this and that makes for a more fun day,” Strode said.

Just down the street, the Cooper family ran another kind of tree service. There was only one job for them: clearing branches from the front lawn.

“It could have been much worse for us,” Natisha Cooper said. “Our house is surrounded by trees.”

The family woke up at the height of the storm, just after they lost power. They watched from the window and prayed for everyone’s safety.

“I’m just so grateful to be alive and safe,” Cooper said. “It makes your heart beat a little faster to realize how serious the storm really was.”