Rivers Unit opened the books on its operations for 2010 this afternoon after a five-member-strong crew (including 3 qualified chainsaw operators) was despatched to an address in Weston Creek where a gum tree had dropped a large limb on a house and a garage.  It was a technical job, with the large, heavy, y-shaped branch perched precariously on two points and a threat of further damage being caused if not cut in just the right spots.  The Rivers team was joined by a team from Majura Unit and together were able to complete the difficult job without causing further damage to any structure.  After the broken part of the tree was safely on the ground, the team was then able to cover the damaged part of the roof and minimise any further damage that could be caused by rain.   

 

Footnote:

Canberra has been suffering through somewhat of a heatwave of late.  Our day time temps have been consistently reached over 35°C (95°F) each day for the last week or so and night time minimums have been about 16°C (60°F).  We haven’t had any significant rainfall for a couple of weeks now and people, animals and the environment are becoming increasingly heat-stressed as a result. One major problem for the SES is that is our native gum trees (aka eucalypts if you happen to hail from another part of the world) seem be all-too-frequently falling down for no apparent reason (i.e. no wind, rain or pre-existing sickness in the tree).  They are giving no warning and taking out houses, cars and sadly sometimes even people.  The reputation of gum trees as being “widow makers” seems to be well earned right now.