Crews remove branch that fell through south Austin family's roof after storms

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Tree removal crews are busy in and around Austin Friday after strong storms moved through the area and caused damage.

In one south Austin neighborhood, workers from ABC Home and Commercial Services pulled out their chainsaws to start removing a large elm tree's branch that fell onto Steven Stump's roof Thursday evening. It even punctured a hole in his kitchen that caused water to pour from the ceiling.

Stump said this happened mere hours after the same crews had just finished working outside his house to remove other branches.

"It was an attempt to prevent that from happening, and as it turned out, the tree that looked alive was not, and it came down in the storm," Stump explained Friday.

Once the crew's work is complete Friday, he'll then have to wait on his home insurance company to survey the damage to his roof and determine how to move forward with repairs.

For now, though, he's appreciative of the crews coming back so quickly to help take apart the destructive branch. They'll have to make another trip sometime soon, though, once they secure a city permit to take down another branch from the same tree that's towering over his home.

Shawn Martin, the general manager of the tree division at ABC Home and Commercial Services, said his crews found rot happening inside the large branch that fell on Stump's house, so that made it less able to withstand powerful winds. Martin advised neighbors to seek the help of tree experts, like certified arborists, to make sure the trees surrounding their homes are safe, strong and healthy.

People living all throughout Central Texas shared photos and videos with KXAN of the damage to their own trees, including some that fell on vehicles, following Thursday's storms. Other damage included blown-over playground equipment, downed fences and even a collapsed above-ground pool.