‘2 trees, 2 cars,’ family say 3rd about to fall

By Drew Marine

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    PORTLAND, Oregon (KPTV) — The windy, icy weather has really proven to cause tree troubles for a street in Northeast Portland. Thursday morning, two trees fell onto a family’s car and another failing tree is causing concern to neighbors on the street too.

Neighbors say the problem tree has been swaying all day Friday and they think it’s just a matter of time before it falls and hurts someone.

“That [could] have been me,” says Abir Hakim, looking onto the smashed car.

Hakim is feeling grateful no one was hurt when two big trees came crashing down Thursday morning.

“I started seeing the two trees moving a little bit,” Hakim says. “I took a small video of it and I was just thinking wind.”

She says she was working from home Thursday morning and when she looked up through her window, they were toppling over onto her driveway, crushing both of their cars. She says minutes earlier, visitors had left.

“It just took seconds and it was down on both cars.” Hakim says. “Two trees, two cars!”

Her husband Albert says they’ve been trying to get rid of the trees for years now, but it’s been hard to get a permit from the City of Portland.

“I’ve applied a few times to cut those trees because it’s happened before,” says Albert Hakim. “Long branches fall on the cars and I was worried about my daughters, my visitors, my neighbor to be killed and they said we care about the trees.”

Now a third tree is making neighbors on Northeast Cliff Street anxious because the smallest gust of wind makes it sway really easily, pulling the root up with it.

“Every time there’s a breeze or whatever the root ball is coming up and is raising up the brick wall that’s next to it,” says Jonna Storey.

Storey says she’s also tried and failed to get a permit to take the tree down and now hopes the city will act fast to let them cut it before anyone is seriously hurt.

“I love trees however trees that endanger people’s lives are a whole ‘nother situation.”

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