Local landscaping company booked for next 6 months after winter storm
The owner of Cathey’s Tree Service said they are prioritizing homes that, if not cleared, could harm people’s homes and health.
CEDAR PARK, Texas — Cleanup efforts are underway throughout central Texas, and local landscaping contractors are working around the clock.
Douglas Cathey, the owner of Cathey’s tree service, KVUE said in a typical week they would get about 15 calls. For the past few days, they’ve been getting almost 200 calls a day.
“It’s overwhelming,” he said. “It’s a full-time job just keeping up with the incoming calls.”
Grace Wilson, operations manager at Cathey’s Tree Service, said they already have a busy season ahead due to the oak wilt season. Now add the winter storm damage. You’re booked for the next six months and need to decide which calls to prioritize.
“Yesterday we had to rescue someone,” Wilson said. “They couldn’t leave their home. And so we see a lot of it. That’s a top priority because they need to be able to leave home to go to the grocery store, so I pushed these guys to the top of the list.”
They’re also prioritizing people whose homes are at risk, like Kay Dunning’s, whose tree was downed by the storm.
“We have this beautiful cedar tree in our backyard,” Dunning said. “Only a quarter of the canopy was left on one side. And a tree that tall might fall over in another storm and damage our home.”
Dunning’s tree was removed to the stump.
Wilson said employees worked long 12-hour shifts to try to keep up with demand.
“There’s a finite amount our bodies can handle,” Wilson said. “We are not machines, we are people. Even though we’ve been doing this type of work for a decade or more, there’s still a finite amount our experienced bodies can handle.”
https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/local-landscaping-business-booked-6-months-winter-storm/269-cc82a91c-857c-4c99-bfe1-3879eff414f2 Local landscaping company booked for next 6 months after winter storm
