Aftermath: Fallen trees removed from Bend homes, parks

A windstorm on Friday kept maintenance crews busy over the weekend and into Monday, cleaning up fallen trees and debris left over from the high winds.

In Drake Park, four trees fell Friday morning, a loss for the community, but not without a silver lining.

According to Michelle Morrell, landscaping supervisor for Bend Parks and Rec, the small logs are are being donated to churches around town so it can be given to people who need firewood during the winter.

Across Bend, homes that fell victim to fallen trees are also on the mend, including one home that had damage surprising even to long-time local arborist Wade Fagen, of Fagen’s Tree Service.

“This is one of the worst damaged houses I’ve seen in any storm,” Fagen said.

That home belongs to Evelyn Haertel, who’s lived there for more than 50 years.

Haertel said she woke up to the sound of a blue spruce tree she planted nearly 50 years ago falling over in her backyard.

“Then my neighbor, who is a police officer, came over and got me out the house,” she recalled Monday. “It wasn’t too long after that that a very large tree hit my house from the front, so I’m left with not much but debris.”

It’s an experience that would leave many shocked and shaken, but not Haertel.

“I didn’t shed a tear, I just feel I’ve got more years and I’ve got wonderful friends and family I’m really not worried, I think it’s going to work out okay.”

Which I believed, because instead of focusing on her house, Evelyn kept turning the attention back to the Portland Trail Blazers, her favorite basketball team.

“I’m so proud of the Blazers because they’ve been part of my life since they began playing in Oregon, so I’m wearing the jacket to say, ‘I’m cheering for you guys!'” said Haertel

It was a welcome distraction from an unlucky break, because according to Fagen, it’s not often that homes in Central Oregon get this much damage from trees.

“The most dangerous trees are the trees that are 3/4 the height of the tree away from the house, because then they get enough room and speed to hit,” he said. “The trees that are really close to the house, they usually just lean again them.”

In Central Oregon, he estimated, 99 percent of the trees don’t do any damage to the house, other than maybe puncture a small hole underneath some shingles.

Unfortunately, Haertel fell into that unfortunate 1 percent.

But she has more important things on her mind: The Portland Trail Blazers are in the playoffs, and she donned her Blazer jacket for the interview.

“If Damien (Lillard) does well, as he did the other day, we’ll make it,” she said, finding something to smile about despite the big mess.