SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Multiple neighborhoods were cleaning up Friday after heavy, wet snow caused tree branches to come crashing down onto cars, streets, sidewalks, and lawns.
“I woke up at 5 AM this morning and heard a crack, and I was out shoveling and I saw flashes of light from at least two transformers, so I’m sure it’s happening all over the valley,” said one homeowner in the Sugarhouse area.
Others were out pulling tree branches out of the street and cutting them up in the Highland Park neighborhood, and at homes around Liberty Park, Capitol Hill, and the Avenues.
“We do want to caution that for the larger limbs, our urban forestry team is trained to cut those in a specialized way to stay safe,” said Salt Lake City spokesman Matthew Rojas.
Rojas also urged caution for people who see any tree branches in contact with power lines, saying people should call the power company first.
Rojas added that the city will remove any large limbs that have fallen into the public right-of-way. That includes streets, parks, and park strips in front of people’s homes. But trees that fall on your own property you are responsible for.
“It could take several days for us to clear all the trees that have fallen, so we ask for people’s patience,” he said. Those can be reported to the city through the SLC Mobile App, online at slcgov.com, or by calling 801-972-7818.
If you are not a Salt Lake City resident, you will need to call your own city headquarters to find out what to do.