“My wife is now in trauma because we can hear the cracking noise of the other tree every time there’s a strong wind,” Danilo Jacolbe told Variety.
They asked assistance from the mayor’s office, which said it didn’t have a chainsaw.
The mayor’s office said it sought the assistance of the Division of Parks and Recreation but it also didn’t have a chainsaw.
On Monday, the mayor’s office received two similar requests regarding falling trees that needed to be cut down.
Jacolbe said the owner of the house, William Armea, also sought help from the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.
CUC, he said, was recently trimming branches to prevent them from hitting the power line in the area.
But, he said, CUC personnel told them that the trees near their house were not included in their work since these were far from the power line.
“Who can help us? What if something happens to my family?” Jacolbe asked.
He said Oleia Elementary School, where his children are studying, is inquiring about their safety.
In an email interview, CUC Executive Director Utu Abe Malae said their priority is to clear vegetation that endangers the power lines.
“If the mayor or [the Department of Public Works] needs help from us, we are most willing to assist them with vegetation clearing. If there are private contractors out there — they should be the first to be contacted by families who need assistance with falling trees that are not near the power lines,” he said.
Malae said CUC works cooperatively with the mayor’s office, DPW and the fire division.
For example, he said, after CUC trims tree branches, DPW hauls off the debris.
Recently, he said, they needed help with fuel for their equipment.
“The mayor’s office has helped us before with water deliveries when there is a major water leak in an area. The fire division does the same for the power plant in Lower Base. If it weren’t for them the engines would have overheated when it took us days to locate major water leaks in Tanapag,” he said.
During hard times, teamwork is all we can count on, he added.
The huge flame tree fell on the house on Texas Road, Oleia, Sunday evening, causing panic among residents, but no one was hurt.
The incident occurred at around 10:30 p.m. due to strong winds, Jacolbe told Variety.
Just before the tree fell, he said, his wife was in the kitchen area.
“It’s good that it didn’t happen during daytime. What if the tree fell when our children were in the rest room?” he asked.
