MISSOULA — It's no secret that during the July 24, 2024, windstorm, trees fell on properties across Missoula.
One homeowner located behind the Good Food Store had a tree fall on her home.
“I heard things were hitting the roof and the windows, and that made me real nervous. So I walked out into this living area and stared out through the sliding glass door. And the next thing I know, I see this huge thing coming at me, which was the huge cottonwood tree that fell over and exploded the sliding glass door," recalled homeowner Alexandra Melhuse. "I hurried backwards, covered my face, and I was pelted with shards of glass from the explosion of the window, and then the power went out. So I set about trying to sweep up the glass particles, and next thing I know, five people from the nearby buildings came over to offer me help."
- RELATED: Missoula Urban Forestry Department discusses 2024 windstorm clean-up progress
- RELATED: Roofing company staying busy following July 2024 Missoula windstorm
- RELATED: July 2024 Missoula windstorm closed river access, tree debris may have revitalized ecosystem
- RELATED: NorthWestern Energy looks back on July 24, 2024 windstorm
- RELATED: Linda Vista Golf Course continues recovery a year after July wind storm
On the night of the July 2024 windstorm, a large cottonwood tree fell onto Alexandra Melhuse's home, causing extensive damage. But one year later, she's fully rebuilt.
Watch: Missoula resident rebuilds after July 24, 2024, windstorm
“The day after the windstorm, the huge tree was split in three. Two-thirds of it was impaled on the deck and the final third went across and completely took out the fence and cut off the Milwaukee Trail over there,” said Melhuse.
The tree that fell onto Melhuse’s home caused extensive damage to the deck, roof and the surrounding grounds. It took a while to clean everything up, with Melhuse going back and forth over who was responsible for paying for the debris removal and repair costs.
“My HOA helped me get a company called Affordable Tree Service, and they came and spent all day removing this huge tree cadaver and disentangling it from the deck. It was very expensive. Their charge was $15,000, and the tech said he based his quote on how stressful the job was, and he said this was probably the worst he'd ever done," Melhuse told MTN. And from then on, it was just getting the appraisal and retaining a renovation company to put the place back together again, including the roof. They had to subcontract an engineer because the roof trusses were quite damaged, and they spent the next couple of months putting the place back together."
The only remnants of the damage caused that night is a fence that has its wiring tangled. The details of repairing it are still being worked out.
