RICHARDSON, Texas — In a Richardson neighborhood hit hard in Tuesday morning's storm, one sound echoes from nearly every home's yard: a chainsaw.
With trees split, limbs down and branches strewn about -- the cleanup effort is just beginning here.
"It's unbelievable," said Amy Langbine Heath, the owner of Texas Tree Surgeons. "I have been doing this over 20 years and I've never seen a storm like this."
She's never had demand for tree services like this either. When speaking to WFAA Wednesday, her phone died. The company has hundreds of people waiting for estimates.
"We currently have 1,100 unreturned or missed phone calls," Langbine Heath said.
They were able to get to the Phelps family's home Wednesday with a crew of tree climbers armed with saws, a small Bobcat loader and a woodchipper.
Twin brothers Alex and Gabe Phelps heard the large pecan tree fall in their backyard yesterday morning.
"I heard the crunch of the tree," Alex Phelps said.
"There was the constant sound of branches snapping actually," his brother added.
The pair is lucky to witness the crescendo of cleanup: If the tree had fallen the opposite direction, it would've fallen on their room.
"It’s loud and it’s fast and it’s dangerous work," Langbine Health said of tree removal.
Because of that, she said it's important for residents to hire companies with the proper experience, insurance and bonding -- even if that means a little bit of a longer wait.
She said even for people who did not have major tree damage from this, it will be important to have a professional examine your trees. Between canopy loss this Spring and hot and cold snaps in previous years, the trees need some TLC.
"They need basic tree care," Langbine Heath said, including hand-watering and organic nutrients.