Tree service companies kept busy in aftermath of Quebec ice storm

In the aftermath of this week's ice storm, Montreal-area tree service companies are struggling to keep up with the volume of calls they're receiving.

Though it may look like a tornado ravaged some Montreal neighbourhoods, the aftermath of Wednesday's ice storm in Westmount brought down trees and power lines, crushed cars, and lead to some close calls.

"I started hearing a crack, I looked up it was falling down and then I ran for my life," said Federico Panti, a Westmount resident.

The Panti family knew they'd need help.

"There were branches also hanging and they were not coming down," said his father, Fabrizio Panti.

The company Arbocare took their call. They and many other tree service companies are dealing with damage to private property. Their first priority: fixing dangerous situations, like the Panti family's front and backyards.

"Until everything is cleaned up, there are a lot of branches that have snapped and are still up in the trees. Until the arborists take them down, obviously, be careful walking under trees for the time being," said Arbocare's Christopher Honos.

It's a process that Honos says will take a while.

"The next step is going to be taking care of everything on the ground and the next step after that is going to be trimming the stubs from where branches snapped off," he said. They're going to need a lot of manpower and equipment to get that done in a timely manner."

It will also require a lot of help. Arnaud Mermoz came all the way from the South Shore to lend a hand on Friday.

"They're in need of help here. It's a disaster, a complete disaster here," said Mermoz, the owner of Pro des Arbres.

In his years as an arborist, Honos says he's never seen anything of this magnitude and hopes it will teach homeowners the importance of having trees near or above their homes inspected every few years.

Fallen trees are an issue across the island. The City of Montreal is asking residents to avoid parks as a safety precaution.

The city says it has more than 500 crews dealing with the situation in most boroughs working through the weekend.