A Scots homeowner fears a large tree, felled by Storm Eowyn, poses a danger to her house after help was delayed.
Chiara Maccagnana-Regan is twenty-nine and lives next to the huge fir tree. She heard scary noises during the storm. Police warned her about a possible evacuation.
The fallen tree knocked tiles off her roof and ripped up her pavement outside. The tree now rests against her house’s side, and might topple over completely.
Chiara tried to get the council to help, but had no success. She described the frightening night of the storm when everyone was told to stay inside.
She heard lots of smashing sounds outside as roof tiles were falling off her house. Luckily, a neighbor alerted the police earlier. An officer came to her door at 6 PM.
The police told her the tree roots had come up and the tree was scraping her roof. They said not to leave, due to falling tiles, but to evacuate if the tree fell. She felt quite panicked after that visit.
The police advised staying out of her bedroom. So, she camped in her living room a few nights. The tree leaned, instead of crashing, due to the house’s closeness, likely preventing more damage.
Chiara and neighbors tried to get help from Fife Council, but no action has happened yet. She worries the tree will fall during the next windy storm, which is a big concern.
She called the council on Saturday after the storm and waited on hold for two hours. The council was quite busy then, but she eventually reached someone who promised to deal with it soon. Many trees blocked roads, which she understood.
However, the council has never come to help. Her neighbors also called and reported it, and everyone receives the same reply about timing. This situation has frustrated her.
They understood a delay for the first week, knowing they had priorities then. But it is ridiculous at this point, because things are getting worse and she hears scraping at night.
Chiara worries about the harm to homes nearby. The tree’s movement damages her roof more. Windy nights bring the sound of scraping constantly, but she can’t fix any damage yet, because the tree must be removed first.
She worries about further damage with each day it sits. If the council does nothing and the tree falls, it will destroy her house’s front. Her downstairs neighbor’s property will also suffer harm.
Fife Council stated they will remove it, because public safety matters and they will intervene. They added the fallen tree sits on private property.