As summer storms hit metro Atlanta, residents brace themselves for damage from fallen trees
Severe storms brought down trees across Atlanta over the weekend and into Monday, including in Atlanta's Grant Park neighborhood where neighbors say strong winds are an all-too-familiar threat.
Neighbors told CBS News Atlanta they have grown used to watching the trees along Cameron St. SE sway when the wind picks up, knowing it could be only a matter of time before another one comes down.
Leon Parham lives directly in front of the wreckage of a large tree that was split in half Monday around 8 a.m. during a storm.
Having lived in the neighborhood for over 12 years, he said he knows the warning signs for when environmental destruction is imminent.
"Yesterday evening I was sitting on the porch, and I noticed the wind blowing a lot," said Parham. "I'm always annoyed about that because the trees are always falling, so I came back, the limbs had fallen off this tree and they were on all the wires."
He said he left his home at around 7:30 a.m. to get coffee, and when he returned, half the tree was blocking the road where he normally parks.
"It kind of happens often. I think the last time something fell in the back of my yard here, and it fell on the top of the roof and made some damage," said Parham.
Parham says experiences like this one are the reason he has insurance and that it's helped him recover from storm damage before.
"If a big storm comes through, whether it be hail damage or wind damage, we recommend you document and take photos of the damage," said Wesley Pergament, the co-founder of Sola Insurance. "If a roofer comes by, obviously we don't recommend going on the roof yourself."
Pergament said now is a good time to review your policy.
"A lot of home insurance companies have been raising wind and hail deductibles, and some home insurance companies have been actually raising wind and hail deductibles so high that it excludes roof coverage and roofs, one of the most common home insurance claims," he said.
