Family near Blue Mountain Reservation reports ongoing property damage from dead trees

The couple says the dead trees near their home have caused major damage in the past, including last week.

News 12 Staff

Dec 14, 2022, 10:20 PM

Updated 590 days ago

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A Peekskill family who says branches and trees shower their property every time a storm rolls through, reached out to News 12 for help to avoid additional damage to their property.
Mike and Joan Messenger have a home that borders the Blue Mountain Reservation. 
They say the dead trees near their home have caused major damage in the past, including last week. They said a tree limb came down and wrecked their car. Another tree came down in 2018 and poked through their garage. 
"It was very costly getting everything repaired, the tree cut," says Mike Messenger. 
Mike Messenger says he had to pay nearly $10,000 in damages, which insurance didn't fully cover.
When last week's storm caused branches to fall on their driveway, he contacted Westchester County Parks to request tree trimming. But he says he hasn't heard back.
News 12 reached out, and a spokesperson for Westchester Parks says they did investigate the Messinger's concerns and plan to visit their property to do any needed trimming Thursday.
News 12 was told these types of concerns are not taken lightly, but that the Parks Department has a lot of ground to cover, with more than 18,000 acres of property.
People can report dangerous trees near roadways or homes that are on Westchester County-owned property to the county Parks Department by calling 914-231-4500.   


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