50-foot tree crashes to ground in Indio neighborhood

More damage is being reported from last week’s storm after a 50-foot tree fell early Tuesday morning in an Indio neighborhood.

It happened on Monte Vista Street in a neighborhood near Madison Street north of Highway 111. The tree was in Joyce Venaglia’s neighbor’s backyard when she awoke Tuesday morning.

When it fell overnight, it damaged their fences and Venaglia’s rose bushes, but luckily missed their homes. Venaglia said she didn’t even hear the tree fall.

“I just came out this [Tuesday] morning to dump some trash and the neighbors across the street said, ‘look what’s in your yard’. I couldn’t believe it,” said Venaglia. “But I think the whole thing is a miracle because if it had hit either this way or that way, it would have demolished my house and caused a lot of damage.”

The 50-foot tree is more than 20 years old and Venaglia never thought it would fall over. She said it should serve as a warning for people to check the trees around their houses to make sure they stay safe.