Residents took cover on March 15 as an F3 tornado tore through the town, damaging over 100 homes
‘We’re not in
Kansas anymore’ March 29, 2012 • Special Edition
Dexter High School 2200 N. Parker Rd. Dextee, Mich. 48130 www.thesquall.com
The Dreadnaughts’ voice
The Squall Page 2 www.thesquall.com March 29, 2012 Graphic by James Simonds
Tornado breakdown
Index
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Photo By: Nick Nolte
Contact us
In the moment
Under cover
The power shut off, trees fell, hail hit the windows and lights flickered.
Residents took cover from the tornado in their basements, cars, and even their closets.
Mail address: 2200 N. Parker Road Dexter MI, 48130 (734) 426-4240 ext: 7407 Email: dextersquall@ gmail.com
Staff Editorials Editorials represent the majority opinion of the editorial board. Editorials are unsigned. Columns represented the opinions of the individual staff members who wrote them.
Among the wreckage A showcase of photographs taken in and around the most heavily-affected areas just after the tornado hit show a path of destruction mixed with no damage at all.
Staff policy
School groups
The community
The National Honor Society and multiple sports teams helpd friends and strangers alike.
From free meals, to can drives, to volunteering, the community helped in myriad ways.
Starting a movement
What went down
How the people’s helping nature drove many to action after the storm.
What was destroyed, who helped and what created a community movement in Dexter.
Their two cents Community leaders sound off about the work done by the people they represent and students give help those who need it the most.
Connor Thompson Editor-in-Chief Emily Darrow Editor-in-Chief & Head Designer Kristie Duve Photo Editor Jennifer Stirling Business Manager James Simonds Graphics Charlotte KnoerlMorrill Kathryn Pisano Miranda Mors Marissa Argiero Photographers Levi Kipke Cam La Fontaine Nicole Ferguson Nate Hoatlin Ali Bowman Ben Bruetsch Abby Mesaros Teddy Grammatico Staff Writers Rodney Satterthwaite Adviser
Memberships:
The Squall is a student publication distributed to students, faculty and staff of Dexter High School. The Squall is also distributed by subscription to the Dexter community. The Squall has a press run of 1700 copies and is printed by The Argus-Press in Owosso, Mich. The paper serves as a public forum with student editors making all content decisions. Opinions expressed in the newspaper are not necessarily those of Dexter Community Schools.
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Where I was
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more,” he said. “And if another one hits, I know what to do now.” His house, as well as many others in his neighborhood, was damaged by the tornado. “We had to move houses because of the destruction in our house,” he said. “We won’t be able to move back for two months. But Bazick said he’s grateful for the little things. “Right now, I’m just thankful that no one was injured,” he said. “It was really an eye-opening experience.”
When the swirling cloud of wind, rain and debris hit on March 15, adults and children alike ran for cover. They made frantic calls to loved ones and quickly sought shelter wherever they could find it. I was out on a walk Levi Kipke and Emily Pap Staff Writers
I was at practice Senior Jamie Verbal was at soccer practice. “I was in the gym at the high school when (Principal Kit) Moran came down and told us that we needed to get into the team room, by the locker rooms, to take cover,” she said. “He put the school on a lock down, so nobody was allowed to leave unless they were with a parent.” Verbal and her teammates were skeptical at first because they didn’t believe there was a tornado. “We didn’t think the threat of a tornado was real until someone texted one of my friends a picture of the funnel,” she said. “Part of me really wanted to go look and see it, but part of me was worrying about my friends and family.” Soon enough though, Verbal said, she realized that the threat was real. “The principal came on the intercom and told us that the tornado had just touched down in Hudson Mills,” she said. “That’s when I started to get worried.” Verbal’s family members were the first people she contacted. Her brother was at baseball practice, but she quickly called him and her father to make sure that they were OK. “I was supposed to pick my brother up from baseball,” she said. “I didn’t know how long he would be at practice before I was allowed to pick him up.” Once the tornado had passed, she went home and found her that her house was alright. However, she has been busy ever since. “Although my house wasn’t hit, I have a lot of friends whose houses were damaged,” Verbal said. “I’ve been doing a lot of volunteer work to help rebuild Dexter.”
I was at home Sophomore Jake Kilian was at his home in Horseshoe Bend. “I was doing my homework when my mom called and told me that a big storm was coming towards Dexter,” he said. “I turned the TV on and saw on the news that there was a tornado warning, but then the power went out.” He called his parents then went down to the basement
to wait out the storm in the dark. “Right after I went down to the basement, I heard the sound of the tornado,” Kilian said. “I could hear things crashing around outside my house, and the tornado was roaring really loudly. I was kind of freaking out, and I kept hoping that everyone would be OK.” According to him, nobody was seriously injured. However, his house and many of his neighbors’ houses suffered damaged, according to Kilian. “My roof has some water damage, and my backyard has a lot of trees knocked down,” he said. “My neighborhood basically had all of its trees ripped out of the ground.” He also said his neighborhood will need a lot of help getting back to normal. “I’ve been spending all of my free time rebuilding and repairing my neighborhood,” he said. “I don’t mind it, though, because I know that we have a lot of work that needs to be done.”
I was playing outside Freshman Luke Bazick was outside his home in Huron Farms. “I was outside playing soccer with my friends when I heard the tornado siren go off,” he said. “Of course, it’s gone off before and nothing happened then, so I wasn’t worried.” However, he decided to go inside just in case. When he got in the house, he said his mother was watching the weather on TV, and she told him to go down to the basement because the severity of the storm made her anxious. “My family sat in my basement for about half an hour before we heard anything happening outside,” he said. The tornado could soon be heard overhead, according to Bazick. “We could hear a sound like a freight train right above us,” he said. “It sounded like it was in the house. We could also hear all of our windows getting blown in, and the whole house was shaking. My ears started popping because of the air pressure. I was terrified, and I didn’t say a word to my family. I just sat there listening to the tornado right above us.” His family and friends came out of the experience unscathed, and Bazick also said he learned a lot from the experience. “I’m never taking tornado warnings lightly any-
Mill Creek Middle School physical education teacher Katie Jazwinski and her husband Bob Jazwinski were at their home in Horseshoe Bend. But before that, they were on a leisurely walk/run with their 4 year old daughter Jessica and 2 year old son Bobby when Jessica randomly got a bloody nose. The couple and their children cut their outing short and headed back to the home to care for Jessica, and, perhaps, in perfect timing as well. “Jessie has never gotten a bloody nose before, so it was very strange” Katie said. Minutes after they reached their home, Bob started grilling outside when he and Katie began seeing trees flying around the neighborhood. Realizing that this was no ordinary storm, the family headed inside to seek shelter in their master bedroom’s walk-in closet since the home was not equipped with a basement. “We had actually practiced a tornado drill in our house two nights prior to the tornado, so we actually stayed pretty calm considering the circumstances,” Katie said. Less than a minute after the family took shelter, the tornado began ripping through their home. “Bob covered us in clothes, and we sat there huddled in the corner. We could feel the suction from the tornado,” Katie said. After the tornado finally passed, Bob went out to recover all of the children’s baby photos before they were further damaged. He came back in the closet and told his family that the roof above the piano was completely gone. “We are not sure what photos were not recovered,” said Katie. “Especially the ones that were placed around the house. We actually found a lot of them buried underneath the rumble. All of the baby and wedding photos were damaged by water, insulation and the roof falling on them, but we at least have them.” Since the destruction of the family’s home, the Jazwinski’s have been staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Chelsea and will be moving into a rental home over Spring Break. “We have always believed in God, so we know he definitely put people in the right places at the right time,” Bob said. “We still wish that we were far away from Dexter when this took place so we didn’t have to experience the house being wrecked right above and around us, but we were in there. We hold each other a little closer and a little longer. We didn’t think it was possible, but we have more love and affection towards each other.”
Where I was
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5:17 p.m.
The tornado touched down just northeast of the intersection of N. Territorial and Dexter Townhall Road.
The tornado moved southeast and produced EF-1 damage limited to uprooted and snapped trees as well as minor roof damage. Winds reached an estimated
100 mph
Photo Credit: Emily Darrow
A young girl from Huron Farms holds out a piece of hail that fell from the sky during the tornado.
The tornado strengthened as it hit the Horseshoe Bend subdivision, causing structural damage to the outside of homes with winds at an estimated
Photo Credit: AJ Korte
120 mph
This funnel cloud by Crest Court, a subdivision behind Deer Run, eventually headed toward and hit near downtown Dexter.
What happened
Photo Credit: Charlotte Morrill
Storm carves path of destruction Nicole Ferguson Web Editor
A tornado watch was issued around 5 p.m. by the National Weather Service until 6:30 p.m. Thursday March, 15. Local radio stations like 104.1 Country stopped playing music to alert the public and keep them updated. Hail 1.8” in diameter showered down. At 5:17 p.m. the tornado touched down near North Territorial and Dexter Townhall Roads. At this time, it was classified as a EF-1 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, meaning it had winds of about 100 mph. Next, the tornado, reportedly 800 feet wide, traveled down Dexter-Pinckney Road and hit Horseshoe Bend Dr. in Carriage Hills, uprooting numerous trees and causing structural damage. At this time the tornado was a EF-2 with winds of around 120 mph. Tornados in the United States usually travel from Southeast to Northeast. This tornado, how-
ever, traveled 7.2 miles through Dexter in the opposite fashion, from Northwest to Southeast. Moving Southeast, the tornado intensified to a EF-3 at 5:31 p.m. with winds of around 135 mph The tornado was an EF-1 at crossed over Huron River Drive, but it intensified again to an EF-3 as it touched down in Huron Farms. The tornado damaged about 200 homes and destroyed at least 20. There was much more natural destruction than structural. In Horseshoe Bend, mostly trees were destroyed. In Huron Farms mostly homes were damaged or destroyed. About 2,000 DTE customers were left without power after the tornado. The Dexter Township Board allocated $200,000 for the clean-up of natural debris, and Washtenaw County approved a resolution allocating up to $500,000 for tornado emergency services and clean-up. No one was hurt or seriously injured during the storm.
“I’d like to say thanks to all of the people who came out and helped. There were so many that there were lines to do work. Thanks to all the football lacrosse players. You helped out so much that I can never repay you all,” junior Eddie Hafner Hafner lives on the Huron River right next to the Dexter Mill. When the tornado hit, it tore down 28 trees and ripped off his roof and sent the top of the Mill into the Hafner’s yard.
5:31 p.m.
The tornado then continued to track southeast alongside Dexter-Pinckney Rd. and produced EF-3 damage. Photo Credit: Kevin Dombkowski
The tornado destroyed one home northwest of Dexter. It then made a left turn and paralleled Huron River Dr. producing EF-2 damage on the north side of Dexter with winds at an estimated
135-140 mph
The tornado then produced EF-3 damage again in the Huron Farms subdivision. Several homes were destroyed by winds of an estimated
135-140 mph 5:49 p.m. Photo Credit: Emily Darrow
5:52 p.m.
The tornado then weakened as it moved southeast and lifted near the intersection of Zeeb and Ann Arbor-Dexter Road.
photos by Emily Darrow, Kevin Dombkowski, Kristie Duve, Brandon Otto
Many cars were damaged by being thrown around during
Clean-up crews began clearing fallen trees along Dexter-Pinckney Road the day after the storm.
‘Small town apocalypse’
This view looking inside the Dexter Laundromat shows more damage.
While no one suffered any major injuries, many homes and businesses around town suffered major damage
This house in the Huron Farms neighborhood underwent extensive damage.
Debris from damaged houses lined the streets of Huron Farms immediately following the storm as police and fire crews began to patrol the neighborhood. Junior Jenna Kuick’s house was hit with a fallen tree that ripped a hole through the roof, destroying the house from the ground floor up.
Streets in Huron Farms neighborhood flooded after the storm passed, causing further damage to homes already hard hit.
The tornado removed the roof of this house on Dexter-Pinckney Road, leaving the interior uncovered.
The Dexter Car Care Center and Laundromat were effectively destroyed during the storm.
This tree was uprooted and landed on a house on Second Street downtown blocking the entrance to the home and causing damage to the house’s roof.
Coming together Businesses help victims of storm
The Squall Page 8 www.thesquall.com March 29, 2012
Nate Hoatlin Staff Writer
People from all over Washtenaw county and even other countries have turned out to help in the tornado relief effort which counselor Craig Rafail said illustrates the usual ability of the Dexter area to pull together in a crisis. “I think they don’t realize it, because they’ve lived here all of their lives,” Rafail said. “People just aren’t like this everywhere you go. This never would have happened where I come from.” His statements came after a week of donations and volunteer efforts after an EF 3 tornado struck on March 15. And some of this help does seem to be coming from unexpected places. Dexter students helped restore Japan after a tsunami struck that country last year. In return, Japan helped Dexter, by donating over $1,000 to the Dexter disaster relief fund. Lafontaine Automotive group, Busch’s and Chelsea State Bank have also led the charge, all establishing relief funds for the com-
munity. Busch’s also held a round up fundraiser as well, asking customers to round up their purchase to the nearest dollar, to help the relief. Sysco foods, Lake Trust Credit union and many other small businesses throughout Washtenaw county have contributed. State representative Mark Ouimet even helped campaign to establish a half million dollar relief fund for Dexter. Rafail, however, warns the effects of the tornado might not have settled in just yet. “People are going to be stressed,” he said. “Maybe not right away, but when they really settle into putting their lives back together, it will definitely take it’s toll on them. That’s why it’s so great to be a part of Dexter, The sense of community, that the neighbors and friends of these people have is really just uplifting. We’re blessed, not just because no one was hurt, but because we live in such a great community of people, one that really takes care of their own.”
Charitable giving
Photo Credit: Emily Darrow
Busch’s employee set up outside the store to serve food to community members affected by the tornado.
Busch’s
102.9
The local grocery store helped by handing out water and Gatorade to residents, workers and volunteers. The day after the tornado, Busch’s also hosted a barbecue all day and handed out trash bags and fruit snacks to people in Huron Farms. The Saturday after the tornado, workers also helped clean up trees on Dexter- Pinckney Road. Busch’s also stored frozen food for residents who lost power or had significant damage to their homes, and also held a fundraiser at all of their 15 stores and raised $41,780.26 .
Radio station 102.9 W4 Country was the only radio station up and running before, during and after the storm, informing people about the tornado. They next Monday morning, they held a special broadcast at the Dexter Bakery where lots of donations were made, including donations from TFC Bank and Lafontaine. They raised $10,000 in four hours, and the Lions club also donated an additional $10,000.
LaFontaine The night of the tornado LaFontaine Chevrolet decided to use their advertising services to raise money for the tornado victims. LaFontaine and Chelsea State Bank created a relief fund at www. dexterrelieffund.com, and have raised over $130,000 so far. They have also joined with Faith in Action and Dexter Community Schools to create an application to apply for the money which is still being handed out.
Coming together
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Students giving back Abby Mesaros Staff Writer
“It was nice to see our community come together and help everyone affected by the tornado. Seeing that kind of help is unique in our society.” -junior Brennan Maisch Photo Credit: Emily Darrow
Senior Tucker Whitley helps clear brush as part of the clean up effort.
Students volunteer in cleanup effort out and clean up after damage to their houses and yards. Senior Patrick Rogers also got inThe damage caused by the tornado volved in the clean up effort. He volunteered with a group of brought together students all over town as they pulled together to help people near the Dexter Mill where family, friends, neighbors and even part of the tornado hit the car wash and laundromat and several houses complete strangers. Senior Sam Griffith took action in next to these businesses. Rogers also volunteered in Horsethe days after the torshoe Bend, nado by starting the Seeing our community where the torDexter Post Tornado nado damaged Clean Up event on coming together like many houses Facebook which drew that was one of the most and downed over 550 people. inspiring things I’ve ever trees. “I started the Facewitnessed. “Seeing book group because our commuI wanted there to be nity coming a way for kids and together like members of the comthat was one munity to know what of the most inthey could do for spiring things the clean-up effort,” Griffith said. “I figured that there I’ve ever witnessed,” Rogers said. “It’s needed to be a centralized way for incredible how such a small commupeople to express need for help and nity can make such a big difference.” The football team also contributed to volunteer. I was hoping that the group would unify the efforts and to the clean up efforts. Friday after the tornado the team bring the community together. The page brought attention to LaFon- went across from the Mill to pick up taine’s Donation center, Childcare at logs and then went to Huron Farms Wylie, can drives after St.Patty’s Day and helped people who didn’t have and put a focus on the areas in need insurance. Then, the next day, they worked of help.” Griffith also helped friends move throughout Horseshoe Bend sawing Cameron LaFontaine Staff Writer
“
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Patrick Rogers senior
up and carrying trees. Junior football player Nate Mellifont was really impressed with the community. “I thought it was really cool how everyone came together,” he said. “I think it really shows how strong and resilient Dexter is.” Sophomore Louie Kurcz also got involved in this student activism. Kurcz, who volunteered in Joplin, Missouri last summer where an EF5 tornado ripped through and destroyed the entire area, had some prior experience before volunteering to help in Huron Farms where he lives. “What people do after a tornado is gather up all of their debris and put it in the front of your lawn, and most the time it’ll get picked up and put in dumpsters,” Kurcz said. “But what we did to make it go faster is put a trailer on my brothers pick up truck, and we had seven or eight people that went around and collect debris and put it in the dumpsters so people could get it out of their yards.” Kurcz also felt the community really came together after the tornado. He said, “I was extremely proud of the community because everybody came and helped from all over, and even on the night of the tornado people were out there helping, and making sure everyone was OK.”
“I helped out because I felt that it was the right thing to do and people were going through a rough time when I wasn’t affected.” -sophomore Rachel Spencer “I helped because a friend of mine was affected, and it was the right thing to do to support a team mate.” -freshman Sam Ketzner “It was weird seeing all of the destruction, but really nice to see everyone help out.” -senior Andrew Gibson “It was really good to go support everybody and how we come together when bad things happen.” -senior Amanda Mayer
The aftermath
The Squall Page 10 www.thesquall.com March 29, 2011
The little town that could
Ali Bowman Designer
In the few hectic minutes after the storm passed, my cell phone service cut out and left me with no power at a friend’s house. Because of the power outage, I had no way of hearing of the state of things in the surrounding areas of Dexter. Our cable came back on before our cell service did, and the reality of the tornado hit me like a brick wall. I saw images of houses torn to the ground on the news and was overwhelmed with shock and fear. Luckily, before I could fully wrap my mind around the surreal images on the TV screen, my friends’ kindness brought me back to reality. As soon as my cell service came back, my phone blew up with text messages and missed calls from friends and family along with Facebook statuses and tweets from fellow students wishing for others’ safety, providing condolences to those affected and encouraging others to help out. And sure enough, just a few minutes after this,
while I was still working on getting my heart rate back to normal, someone already created an event on Facebook for planning clean-up sessions and brainstorming ways to help out the town. I even stumbled across one tweet that read, “If you don’t come help out tomorrow, then don’t bother showing your face around here again #butreally #helpout.” The next morning, I went downtown and was delighted and inspired to find students who were even more enthusiastic about helping each other than they had come across online the previous night. Sports teams and other students lined the debris-scattered streets, moving along them clearing branches like a hive of busy worker bees. And although we were surrounded by such grim scenes, it seemed to induce heartfelt hugs and failed to repress a single smiling face, even through the strenuous labor. This overwhelmingly positive response from my peers amazed me. I was taken aback with how such
a traumatic and horrific event was immediately channeled into a positive relief effort. This is when I realized our tight-knit community that makes up the village of Dexter is better equipped to handle such events than most. It seemed everyone I ran into expressed genuine concern and asked about the state of everyone’s families and houses. Even if some of us are anxious to finish high school and move out of this small town, we demonstrated how much we care about each other gave us the strength and motivation to respond to whatever disaster is thrown our way. While the physical relief efforts by our town were outstanding, how our community came together to support each other in our times of need is something much stronger. This will live on even after the last of the debris is picked up and the last roof is repaired, which is what truly makes us the little town that could.
Teddy Grammatico Staff Writer
Bake sale
Selling baked goods has been a staple of the fundraising world. Find people who are willing to bake for the cause and sell their cookies, muffins, etc. Individually rap each baked good and set up your stand. The commons is a great place to sell goods during lunch, with administrative approval, of course.
Bottle drive
Bottle drives are a quick and easy way to raise money. Just a few people can raise hundreds of dollars for a cause in a short amount of time. People are always willing to give their returnables for a good cause.
Yard sale Find people who are willing to donate their unneeded stuff and sell the goods at a local site. Make sure to advertise your sale and give reduced prices to all who donated towards the sale.
Car wash Car washes do involve a degree of planning, although this is a tried and true way to raise money. Make sure to have your car wash at an area with a high amount of traffic and wait for a nice sunny day.
Photo Credit: Emily Darrow
Senior Jordan Sharp takes a break from cleaning up across from the Dexter Mill. Sharp was helping as part
The aftermath
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‘Where is home?’
Students with severely damaged houses look for shelter
Connor Thompson
Editor-in-chief
Since their home in Huron Farms was badly damaged in the tornado, junior Tara Talbot and her family live in a hotel in Ann Arbor. “A big part of our roof is missing,” Talbot said. “The siding’s messed up, and we had some water damage.” While the Talbots’ home was not completely destroyed, the part that remained after the storm subsided was not substantial enough to repair. They will be forced to completely rebuild in its place. Freshman Spencer Vollmers has also been forced out of his home; a tree fell on its roof, caving in part of the ceiling and damaging the foundations. His family currently lives in the home of a family friend. Two rooms in freshman Dimitrios Potsos’ house are currently uninhabitable as well; both were ravaged by falling debris. He sleeps on a couch, his bedroom filled with wood planks and pieces of fiberglass insulation. Though these and other students’ lives have been temporarily shaken, they all say they have found a strong base of support in their friends and neighbors. “The basement of St. Joseph’s church is completely full of donations,” Potsos said. “It’s amazing how the community can come together.” Dexter Community Schools volunteered Mill Creek Middle School as a shelter immediately following the storm. The district also provided counselors and child care services for parents participating in the cleanup process. However, Potsos was much more impressed by the actions of his friends and neighbors in the aftermath of the tornado. “I was so glad,” he said. “You
see all your friends doing thisthey all called me to see if I was OK.” Potsos said he spent much of the first few days after the tornado cleaning up debris from his and other peoples’ homes. “(The day after the storm) I went outside and cleaned my front and backyard,” Potsos said. “There was broken glass everywhere; I cleaned my bedroom and bathroom, there was insulation everywhere. You want to stay at home, but you want to help at the same time. There were three houses flattened on our block.” Despite the destruction he has seen, Potsos sad he has tried to emulate the sense of stoic optimism that has characterized the many independent relief efforts being organized across Dexter and Washtenaw County. That involves doing what he can to help, but also trying to keep at least a few parts of life normal. “The more I helped (clear debris), the more I felt better,” he said. This weekend, I just played video games at a friends house, but it’s going to take a while. Once the damage is fixed, I’ll feel normal.” In short, he said, the Dexter community has embraced an optimistic attitude toward its hardship as it fights to rebuild. And for Potsos, this has provided a much-needed emotional support upon which those worst-affected by the tornado can heavily lean. Though he said Dexter is quite new to the process of rebounding from tragedy, its people have proved to be dedicated to each other as much as to themselves. “I’m so glad,” Potsos said. “It feels like Mother Nature was strong, but God was stronger.” Vollmers agrees. “I am thankful for all of the community’s help they gave to me and my family,” he said.” “It meant a lot to see everyone come help.”
Photo Credit: Olivia Vollmers
Volunteers help remove debris at the home of junior Olivia Vollmers and freshman Spencer Vollmers. A tree blow over by the tornado slammed through the Vollmers rendering their house uninhabitable. They have been living with friends since the storm hit.
Photo Credit: Nicole Ferguson
These teddy bears sit in a box at Middle Creek Middle School waiting for distribution to a family in need. Mill Creek served as a clearing house and storage spot for community donations.
Giving thanks “
The Squall Page 12 www.thesquall.com March 29, 2012
It amazes me, well, it doesn’t amaze me because Dexter is such a tight-knit community. It’s awe-inspiring to see it. In such a small town we see people all the time, at the grocery store, or wherever and you say, ‘Hey, how ya’ doing?’ When you go through something we all just went through, it’s more than just saying, ‘Hi’ to people. It’s being there for each other when times like this happen.
”
Ken Koenig assistant principal
Clean-up efforts create sense of community Photo Credits: Emily Darrow
“
It was really really nice to see the whole community come together. We have a good working relationship with the school and the village of Dexter. The whole community, even people who weren’t even affected, came together to help clean up or help out in some other fashion, even just donations. That was amazing to see. I heard stories that people were even offering up living spaces for the people who lost their homes.
”
-Jeremy Hilobuk school liaison deputy
Senior Sarah Prielipp participates in a downtown clean up effort.
Senior Haden Quinn rakes up fallen branches.