Homeowners Assess Tree Damage After Strong Winds Lash Southland

ARLETA (CBSLA.com) — Homeowners throughout the Southland on Tuesday were assessing damage to their properties a day after strong winds uprooted trees and knocked down power lines.

Arleta homeowner Robert Cajina said he's learning on the fly how to handle tree removal and damage to his home after an 80-foot pine tree landed on his home on Monday. No one was injured.

The cleanup is tricky, Cajina said.

For example, he's only covered by his insurance company for $500 of tree removal services, but he estimates it will be far more than that to remove the giant tree from his roof.

"It's going to be more than $500," he said.

Some homeowners may be surprised to hear that tree removal is not covered under many insurance policies if there's no damage to the house.

"If there's no damage to your house, generally speaking the tree removal would be the homeowner's responsibility," said AAA claims manager Tony Beneduce.

For Cajina, removing the tree will be just the start of his worries.

He's noticed that since the tree fell Monday, its heft is starting to bear down on one of his home's support beams that look like they're bending and could give in.

A building inspector stopped by Tuesday to yellow tag the home, meaning parts of it such as the kitchen have been deemed uninhabitable.

Cajina said he plans to temporarily relocate with his wife and kids as he continues to assess the damage and work to restore his home.