Crews in Westmoreland County begin removing trees, repairing damages after severe storms

Yahoo

30-04-2025

Crews all across Westmoreland County were busy Wednesday cleaning up after Tuesday evening's storm.
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'This is kind of an outlier. Last year, we had quite a bit of damage here in Westmoreland County due to the tornado at the end of June. This is pretty comparable,' said Logan Brinko of Brinko Tree Service.
Brinko was at a home on McClellan Drive in Greensburg where a tree on a neighboring property cracked and crashed into a home.
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Channel 11's Andrew Havranek spoke with the homeowner off-camera. He said he and his family were inside when the tree hit but they are all okay.
'That's wonderful,' said Bill Humes, a neighbor. 'I mean, just think what would have happened if it had been otherwise. It would have been horrible.'
The home on McClellan Drive is just one of dozens of homes Brinko said his family's company is working to clear trees from after Tuesday's storm.
'Last night we had about a dozen. Woke up this morning, easily doubling that,' Brinko said. 'I'd say actively we have anywhere from 30 to 40 trees actively on homes. We have many crews out right now in the process of getting those trees off the homes.'
The process to clear a massive tree off a home like this can take a bit of time. Brinko said their crews got to McClellan Drive at 9 a.m. and mostly finished up before 2 p.m.
'Luckily, we were able to get the crane set up really close in this situation,' Brinko said. 'The closer the crane is able to set up, the stronger, and more capacity he's good for.'
If a tree falls on your home during a storm, Brinko said to call a tree removal and roofing company as soon as you can.
They're able to work while you're also handling your insurance claim.
The whole process can cost quite a bit of money, depending on the situation.
'Between the tree removal, the roofing contractors, if there's any water mitigation company and restoration companies who have to fix the home, I would say it's tens of thousands of dollars,' Brinko said.
And the best way to avoid those costs and damage, Brinko said, is to manage trees before a storm can break them.
It's advice some neighbors say they're going to take.
'I'm gonna go home and cut some trees down,' Humes said.
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