Volunteers clean up storm damage at cemetery
Shortly after a strong storm blew through Sanpete County on June 6, volunteers showed up at the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery to clean up damaged trees.
A large tree blown over by a storm on June 6 in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery is cut up by volunteers. Lying on the ground is one of two tall headstones that were knocked off their bases when the tree fell.
MT. PLEASANT–Community volunteers were quick to respond on the afternoon of June 6 after a thunderstorm with strong winds blew through the area, knocking down and damaging trees in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery and a nearby park.
Five trees were damaged in the cemetery, including a large tree that was blown completely over, said Jeanne M. Tejada, Mt. Pleasant City recorder. The tree knocked two tall headstones off their pedestals, but fortunately there was no damage to the headstones.
Shortly after the storm, a group of local residents showed up at the cemetery and began cleanup efforts.
“They got together a group of them and came over with their own equipment and started cutting it (the large tree) into pieces big enough that they could pick them up and haul them off,” Tejada said.
Tejada was told the volunteer effort started when a few people started calling around to their friends and a crew was organized. They brought a lot of equipment, including chain saws and backhoes.
“They knew what damage had happened and they came over out of the kindness of their hearts to get it cleaned up,” Tejada said, adding that the volunteer effort saved the city parks department about a week of work.
“It was great and greatly appreciated by the city,” she said.
The volunteers hauled the pieces of wood to an area by the city sewer ponds where they will be burned by the fire department.
Another large tree at the cemetery was damaged enough that the decision was made to remove it the following day. Three smaller trees were also damaged; one was blown over, and the two others were partially blown over and had to be removed.
In the city park next to the cemetery, a tree was blown over and several others lost large limbs.
