HOUSTON — A Kingwood man narrowly survived after a massive tree fell onto his home earlier this week.
Cameron Hayes tells KHOU 11 that the tree started to lean after Hurricane Beryl, but it ultimately fell around 3 a.m. Wednesday morning.
"I felt the boom, I heard the crash ... heard the glass breaking," he explained.
Hayes said a tree branch that pierced the roof may have killed him had it not snapped.
"The angle of the branch actually coming into the roof was angled right at me," he said. "But instead of continuing in that direction, it actually snapped and went back out the other way and exited through the window."
Hayes said he feels "tremendously blessed" to be alive, though the damage to his home is severe. The roof is ripped open in several places, and continued rainfall has caused flooding in the home.
Just minutes after showing KHOU 11 News reporter Stephen Goin the damage, more beams and insulation started to fall down on the floor.
Hayes said he wanted to get the tree cut down after Beryl, but tree removal services were booked out.
"They had enough damage already. They had trees they were cutting up," he said.
With several months of hurricane season to go, Matt Latham with Arborist on Demand said homeowners should take action to try and avoid what Hayes is going through.
What can you do? Latham said it comes down to preventative maintenance.
"Focus on structural pruning -- what are the weak points in the tree? How do we correct those and make it a strong tree?" Latham said.
Latham advises homeowners to focus on tree health well before trees are at risk of falling.
"Does the soil have enough oxygen? Does it have a health microbial ecosystem? Are there beneficial bacteria? That's what's going to provide the nutrients the tree needs after a storm," he said.
Before a storm hits, Latham explained that increasing the amount of organic matter (mulch or compost) in the soil can increase the soil’s water-holding capacity, which could be the difference between a tree falling or not.
Once a tree starts to lean, Latham said experts may be able to brace the tree and strengthen the roots.