Elk Grove resident fears slanting park trees will once again topple on her home
ELK GROVE -- Catherine Ho's roof was badly damaged when a park tree crashed onto her family's home during a round of severe storms on January 8, 2023.
Now, she is worried it will happen again.
"All the branches, they're hovering over our roof," Ho said.
It's a scary sight for Ho to see two large trees leaning toward her house.
"I'm very nervous because right now, our roof is just temporarily fixed," she said. "Rainy season is coming up."
The leaning trees are why she reached out to CBS13 for help.
Ho said the tree that crashed onto her roof in January was also leaning in a similar manner. She fears the remaining trees will topple, too.
Now, she is worried about more damage and the possibility of someone getting hurt this time.
"They're both slanted toward my house. They can fall anytime," Ho said. "I have asked CSD and Parks and Recreation to please remove them."
The Cosumnes Community Services District (CSD) is in charge of maintaining the green belt that runs behind Ho's house and some 48,000 trees in the district's urban forest.
CBS13 asked the district: have these trees been checked?
"A tree not growing perfectly symmetrical is not necessarily an indication that the tree is unhealthy," a spokesperson for CSD said.
In late September, a certified arborist examined the trees and determined that they were not a threat.
"I don't believe that," said Ho.
She wants the trees chopped down.
"In order to prevent the disaster that would come later on. For sure, it is imminent," said Ho.
The district is aware of Ho's concerns and the CSD director went by her home last month to check it out.
"Trees are living things and are removed only as a last resort after the district has expended all other preservation measures. Removal is warranted if its removal prevents imminent damage to a person or property," said a CSD spokesperson.
For several months, Ho has also fought for compensation from the district for her damaged roof. Her insurance company did not cover a full replacement and the patch job has left her with remaining problems that she cannot afford to fix out of pocket.
The district said that her claim was investigated by a third party and denied. The district also said the investigation found it was not liable for this storm-related damage.
"I'm trying to prove it wasn't just an act of nature. It was the way the trees were planted incorrectly from the beginning, too close in proximity to one another that the roots intertwined and caused the trees to be weakened," Ho said.
Ho got a call from the district Monday, the day this CBS13 story aired, explaining that the district is planning to come to her home soon to prune the leaning trees to prevent limbs and branches from falling.