Houston Heights storm recovery: 175-foot crane needed to remove giant tree from home’s roof after severe weather event

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Communities across Southeast Texas are still working to clean up after being hit by Thursday’s deadly storm.

The Heights was one of the hardest hit areas.

Hurricane-like winds blew, toppling trees from street to street.

Kassimer Doynov was at work when trees in his neighborhood started falling like dominoes.

“I think the wind was really strong and it came this way,” said Donovan, who has lived in the neighborhood for 16 years.

Doynov came home to find his three-story sycamore tree uprooted and resting against his house.

“He (sent) a huge shock wave in my house. My house is raised about a meter above the ground, so all the insulation downstairs was kind of knocked out,” Doynov said.

But for Doynov’s tree, it wasn’t the storm that brought it down.

“The neighbor’s tree fell and hit (Doynov) tree in the back of his house,” said Shane Mulligan of Houston Building Repair.

Mulligan told Doynov he would take on the laborious task of removing the tree.

Doynov was grateful, given that his right-hand man had turned down the job.

“He said, ‘No, I can’t do it. It’s so heavy,’ this tree weighs about 13 tons,” Doynov said.

The only way to fell the tree was to use a crane.

The crew was temporarily slowed when they encountered a nest of angry hornets.

“You know, the tree climber is up there getting bitten by hornets,” Mulligan said. “He’ll come back with spray.”

The Doynov Tree was one of many fallen trees in the Heights. He said this storm stood out from all the others.

“I have never seen anything like this in my life and I am 60 years old,” Doynov said. I’ve never seen anything like this. It was quite devastating. »

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