Tree hangs on power line on Howe Ave. forcing closure of road for a short time
WAVERLEY: It was simply one of the many trees blown down during Hurricane Dorian overnight Sept. 7-8 in Waverley.
But this one was blocking those out and about safe access on the sidewalk near the Waverley Post Office on Rocky Lake Drive.
So, young Mason MacEachern did something about that access being blocked, forcing those users who were out and about to walk out on to the busy road to get around the tree. The Lockview High student took the initiative to clear the tree himself, using the small saw he had with him.
When The Laker was out touring the communities for damage from Dorian, we came upon Mason as we started to video and photograph the debris along Rocky Lake Drive. That’s when we saw a figure behind this big tree that lay strewn on the sidewalk. It was Mason.
Mason explained why he wanted to clear the tree from the sidewalk. He was out for a ride on his bicycle on the sunny, but cool Sunday afternoon. The tree was one of many a group of people had pulled off the roadway earlier as they were out making sure things were safe for motorists.
“I was out biking and saw the tree down on the sidewalk so I grabbed my handsaw to clear it away and put it off to the side,” said Mason. “It’s going pretty fast cutting it up.”
Within about 20 minutes he had the tree that was probably about five times his size all cut up and moved off the sidewalk onto an adjacent property. He did have a concern with that though.
“I hope the owner doesn’t get mad at me,” he said.
In other Hurricane Dorian impacts on the area, the wind from it was too much for one tree at a home on Howe Avenue as it fell. The only thing keeping it from blocking complete access for those in Schwartzwald Subdivision was the power lines.
While initially vehicles and walkers drove and passed under it, it shortly became a safety concern as the tree’s weight took a toll on the lines and it creeped closer to the ground. That meant firefighters from Station 45 Fall River—just off a 20 hour shift as part of HRM Fire’s hurricane standby coverage—attended, and blocked the road with tape and pylons.
It remained closed like that until N.S. Power crews arrived later in the night and cut the top of the tree up, and opened up the road for continued access keeping a designated area where debris laid strewn. Crews returned first thing on Sept. 9 to fully remove the tree.
The tree is why the power to those in the subdivision remained off until crews could spend more time at assessing the damage to the wires.
At least one other pole nearby showed evidence of the strain of the weight of the tree on the lines, as it appeared to be splitting in two near the mid-part of the pole.
It was quite an attraction for local residents, many who came by during late morning cellphones in hands taking videos and photos of what was before them.
