‘It’s a devastating loss’: Arlington Woods faces tough cleanup
Arlington Woods looked like a war zone Monday — if war zones were filled with tree-cutting equipment and wood chippers.
Tall white pines are the neighbourhood’s defining feature. The trees, some 150 years old, were spared from the chainsaws when developer Robert Campeau built the community more than 40 years ago. On Friday, many of these giants came crashing down when a tornado ripped through the area. They smashed roofs and made streets impassable.
By Monday, many of the streets had been cleared, volunteers dodged around tree-clearing equipment with boxes of sandwiches and water for cleanup crews and residents, and there was a constant chorus of chainsaws.
Tom and Maria Schnarr had 11 of the giant pines removed from their property on Parkland Crescent. Their house suffered damage to the roof and upstairs rooms. The house can be repaired, but the trees are irreplaceable, Tom said.
The empty spaces where trees once stood will reshape the entire neighbourhood. Already, there is blue sky where once there was shadow, said Maria.
“It’s a devastating loss,” she said. “I had three sky-scraping pines in my front yard. I have never seen the sky out of the front door before.”
Residents love the pines but they also know that trees of this size can do a lot of damage when they fall, said Sean Devine, president of the Trend-Arlington Community Association.
“The trees are so big, they are crushing houses,” said Devine.
The community association has organized work crews to help clear the brush after the professional tree crews have cut down the trees, cutting the thick trunks into lengths and trucking them away. Doug Fisher of Fisher Tree Services in Richmond was just one of many contractors at the scene. He said his crews had done 25 jobs so far and had another 20 booked, with requests for 20 more quotes.
Lt. Christopher Parry and a crew from Ottawa Fire Services were going from house to house to ensure that when the power returns, there won’t be any fires. Parry was prepared for devastation, but what he saw exceeded anything he expected.
“To say ‘a bomb went off ’ doesn’t even describe it,” he said.
Karen Kaden was preparing to get onto a cruise ship in Spain when a neighbour called about the tornado. She marvels both at the outpouring of help — and the peculiar way the tornado demolished some things and left others untouched.
“All of our bedrooms are toast. We have a hole in the master bedroom. But all of the pictures on the wall are fine,” she said. “It’s just bizarre.”
Lynne Kenzie said she was alone in her house on McClellan Road when the tornado hit, causing a tree to fall on her roof.
“It was really scary. Trees were just snapping,” she said. “There was aluminum siding wrapped around trees.”
Residents say they have been overwhelmed by the help they have been offered by neighbours and complete strangers.
Amy Russell, who lives in McClellan Road, said after the tornado hit there were seven or eight trees in the yard that needed to be cut into lengths and removed.
“It has really brought the neighbourhood together,” she said. “I didn’t realize how fortunate we were until this happened.”
Wayne Ng was among the volunteers in Russell’s yard.
“There should be any thought to this,” he said. “You belong to your community. I love this community.”
Devine estimates about 50 volunteers were already at work with the community association’s crews on Monday, but says more are needed. Those who want to pitch in can visit the community association’s Facebook page for details. Bring work gloves, he advised.
“It’s going to take an army.”