By B.C. Manion
When the giant limbs from a laurel oak tree crashed onto the roof of Dorothy R. Brown’s home, the Zephyrhills woman said she was petrified.
“It sounded like a bomb exploded,” the 79-year-old woman said. “I leaped up and I was looked up at the ceiling – but I knew it was the tree. I’ve lived in dread of this tree since the day I moved here.”
Brown said she has been concerned about the tree since she bought her house “sight unseen” with proceeds from an accident settlement more than 20 years ago.
She’s never had the money to have it removed, said the widow, who lives on a fixed income of just over $600 a month, with $300 of that going to her mortgage.
Just a few weeks ago, another limb broke off the tree and landed on power lines across the street.
The broken limb knocked out power for hours to houses along Palm Grove Drive and also sparked a small fire, some of Brown’s neighbors said.
At the time of that incident, Brown said she was warned that the limbs that landed on her house on June 23 were most likely to go next. She said she asked the crews responding to the previous incident if they could take down the tree, but they said they couldn’t because it’s on private property.
When the giant limbs crashed on her roof, however, the community responded to help.
Barton & Sons Tree Service removed the heavy limbs from the roof and stacked up the debris in Brown’s yard. They also applied tarps on the roof to keep water out of the house.
“We try to give back to the community,” said Robert Barton, noting the tree service company has been in business for five generations.
The tree is in bad shape, he added. “It’s been breaking for years.”
The tree service diverted from another job scheduled that morning to help Brown, said Pop Barton, now retired. “We just wanted to get this done today,” he said. “They wouldn’t let her come back here until we got the hazard off.”
Members of the Zephyrhills-Wesley Chapel Ministerial Association also pitched in to help.
The American Red Cross helped, too, putting Brown up at a Quality Inn for a few days while the debris was removed.
Brown was pleased by the community’s response.
“I think it’s wonderful,” she said.
Her friend, Shirlene Grant, was sad that Brown’s home was damaged, but pleased that so many people came out to help.
“She needed to know that people really care about her,” Grant said.
