Rancho Viejo receives heavy wind damage

RANCHO VIEJO - Hurricane Dolly didn't spare the Town of Rancho Viejo uprooting dozens of trees - at least one of them a 100 years-old.

Oak, mesquite and even orchid trees were pulled from their roots by strong winds, which resident Bobby Duffy estimates were at least 75mph.

From Cortez Avenue to Bolivar Avenue to Pizarro Avenue, trees throughout this community were toppled everywhere, some even lifting up parts of concrete sidewalks.

Duffy didn't realized his 100-year-old oak tree had been uprooted until he walked out of his home on Pizarro Avenue Wednesday evening.

Although he could hear the howling wind, he didn't hear the tree tumbling down that also caused several concrete stepping stones to pull up.

Part of the tree had fallen on the roof of his home causing minimal damage.

"I didn't expect to see the amount of damage we had," said Duffy a Hurricane Beulah survivor, as he pointed out the fallen trees.

Damage was also done to an orchid tree Duffy's wife had given him as an anniversary gift 20 years ago. It toppled over sideways.

J.B. Ayala of J.B. Tree Service, headed out to Rancho Viejo early Thursday morning for what would be a long day of tree cutting.

Some 12 hours later, Ayala and his son, Eric, had removed the majority of the oak tree from the front yard of Duffy's home.

The elder Ayala said he had received 15 calls for service. The first came Wednesday evening to remove a tree on Santa Monica Street in the Southmost area of Brownsville that had fallen on top of a home.

"I got called out at 8 a.m. and have been out here ever since," J.B. Ayala said.

The elder Ayala anticipated spending a couple of more hours out there, until he would call it a day.