S.A. tree companies compare icy storm mess to ‘tornado’-like damage

In the aftermath of this week’s deadly winter storm, tree services across San Antonio are busy clearing trees from homes, roads, sidewalks, yards, cars and more. Some people are comparing the icy aftermath to the damage done by a tornado.

Much of the damage is concentrated in the northern areas of Bexar County, in the outlying suburbs of Spring Branch, Bulverde and Canyon Lake and throughout the Hill Country. The Austin metro area bore the brunt of the damage in Central Texas.

Katy Allbritton, a co-owner of tree service company Texas Tree Huggers, was in the Bulverde area Thursday morning to begin assessments for clients and said it was “heartbreaking and devastating.”

“I guess the ash trees are not as strong, so a lot of those are completely dropping limbs,” Allbritton said. “The oaks are snapping due to the extreme temperature change. It’s the perfect conditions for all the trees to suffer.”

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1of18Crews work on down power lines and poles at the corner of Texas 46 and FM 3159 east of Bulverde, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The area was hit hard by the ice storm this week. A section of Texas 46, between FM 3159 and FM 311 was closed to traffic due to down power lines.Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

2of18Crews work on down power lines and poles at the corner of Texas 46 and FM 3159 east of Bulverde, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The area was hit hard by the ice storm this week. A section of Texas 46, between FM 3159 and FM 311 was closed to traffic due to down power lines.Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

3of18Kevin Henderson and his fiancé, Katy Allbritton, co-owners of Texas Tree Huggers, chop down tree branches at the Mead residence on Rebecca Creek Road, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

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Two trucks make their way along Sun Valley Drive in Spring Branch among hillside trees covered in ice. The region suffered extensive damage to trees and other plants as a result of the ice storm over the past two days.

Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

5of18Katy Allbritton and her fiancé, Kevin Henderson, cleans up the Mead residence on Rebecca Creek Road in Bulverde, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

6of18Ice laden trees are seen throughout the area around Bulverde, Texas, including along Sun Valley Drive, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The weight of the ice cause severe damage to trees throughout the area.Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

7of18Trees show ice damage at Richter’s Antler Café in Bulverde, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

8of18Lee Richter, owner of Richter’s Antler Café, cuts down oak tree branches at his restaurant on Texas 46 and Sun Valley Road in Bulverde, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Richter said that several trees on his property lost their limbs due to the ice.Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

9of18Personel remove down trees from properties in Bulverde, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Trees laden with ice from a cold blast led to branches breaking off.Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

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Ice laden trees are seen throughout the area around Bulverde, Texas, including along Sun Valley Drive, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The weight of the ice cause severe damage to trees throughout the area.

Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

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Kevin Henderson and his fiancé, Katy Allbritton, co-owners of Texas Tree Huggers, chop down tree branches at the Mead residence on Rebecca Creek Road, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

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Lee Richter, owner of Richter’s Antler Café, cuts down oak tree branches at his restaurant on Texas 46 and Sun Valley Road in Bulverde, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Richter said that several trees on his property lost their limbs due to the ice.

Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

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Trees show ice damage at Richter’s Antler Café in Bulverde, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

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Crews remove the stump of a power pole, fell by the ice storm, at the entrance to the Creekwood Ranch neighborhood in Comal County, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The area was hit hard by the ice storm this week. A section of Texas 46, between FM 3159 and FM 311 was closed to traffic due to down power lines.

Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

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Crews work on down power lines and poles at the corner of Texas 46 and FM 3159 east of Bulverde, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The area was hit hard by the ice storm this week. A section of Texas 46, between FM 3159 and FM 311 was closed to traffic due to down power lines.

Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

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Personel remove down trees from properties in Bulverde, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. Trees laden with ice from a cold blast led to branches breaking off.

Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

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Katy Allbritton and her fiancé, Kevin Henderson, cleans up the Mead residence on Rebecca Creek Road in Bulverde, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023.

Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

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Crews work on down power lines and poles at the corner of Texas 46 and FM 3159 east of Bulverde, Texas, Thursday, Feb. 2, 2023. The area was hit hard by the ice storm this week. A section of Texas 46, between FM 3159 and FM 311 was closed to traffic due to down power lines.

Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less

Photos from the area show downed power lines, toppled trees and white ice covering entire fields. Dripping Springs saw at least a half-inch of ice accumulation; some areas saw closer to an inch.

Downed trees were mostly to blame for power outages that were still widespread in parts of northern Hays County on Thursday. Nearly 3,500 customers were still without power Thursday afternoon, according to the Pedernales Electric Cooperative. The outages were centered in areas west and north of Austin.

Jennifer Schlegel, an office manager for tree company Tree Wise Men in San Antonio, also said the majority of its calls were coming from areas north of Loop 1604.

“Honestly, thankfully, we haven’t received calls about detrimental major emergencies; it’s just limbs that have snapped so far,” she said.

But while much of the damage is seen in areas north of San Antonio, the entire metro area sustained damage, said Priscilla Plimper, an administrative specialist and aspiring arborist with San Antonio Tree Surgeons.

“We’re busier in the last three days than we’ve been in six months,” she said. “We have three arborists on staff, and they’re giving a minimum of 10 consultations a day, each, all the way through next week.”

Plimper said that while the immediate danger is downed trees, it will take months for the full effects of the storm to be realized. Some trees could survive the ice while only losing a few branches, while some trees could die.

“It’s not necessarily immediate death, but it’s a greater risk of the tree coming down, for sure,” she said.

The powerful storm this week put areas from Dallas to San Antonio under winter weather advisories. The National Weather Service warned of freezing rain and ice accumulations in San Antonio and the Hill Country.

The scene near FM 311 and Texas 46, just east of Bulverde Thursday morning. 

Katy Allbritton -Texas Tree Huggers

Much of Hays County was still under an icy layer Thursday morning, with areas such as Dripping Springs and Wimberley suffering significant damage.

A winter storm warning expired at 10 a.m. Thursday. High temperatures are expected to be in the 70s by Monday.

David Vaughan, a retired arborist who now does consult work around San Antonio, said it’s important for people to know that if they have tree limbs that are weighed down by ice, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are dead and need to be cut off.

“Don’t cut branches just because they’re saggy,” he said. “These trees, they bend with the weight of the ice, and once the ice melts off they return back to their original positions.”

He added that live oaks and mountain laurels are the most susceptible to ice storms.

Annie Blanks writes for the Express-News through Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. ReportforAmerica.org.
annie.blanks@express-news.net.

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