By Abby Cambiano
Northeast News

After 60 to 70 mile per hour winds and rain battered the area last weekend, Neighbors came together this week to clean up trees blocking the northern part of the 100 block of Oakley Avenue. Fallen trees on the street crushed cars, tore down power lines and blocked traffic on the street for several days.

“I couldn’t believe those people on Oakley went three days like that,” Lynne Siegel, owner of Northeast Neighborhood Rentals, said. “I was upset for those folks. What if they needed an ambulance?”

Siegel said she saw a post on Facebook asking for help and said to her partner, “Hey honey, got your chainsaw?”

Since they saw no downed power lines, they started work to remove a fallen tree from a car parked on the street. Lorne Harris sawed the tree off the car, while others stacked the logs out of the way.

Siegel has rentals in the neighborhood and she and her partner, Harris, live in the Northeast. They were out for about four hours on Tuesday cleaning up debris and cutting up fallen trees. Carl, who lives south of Budd Park, stopped to help after riding by on his bike. They were joined by another neighbor, Ralph.

“Lynne was the one who asked if anyone had a need, and she and her partner kind of took the lead on that,” Manny Abarca, Indian Mound Neighborhood Association vice president, said.

Abarca added that because Oakley Avenue is a one way street, it was necessary to move the tree in case an emergency needed to pass through. Another issue was that motorists could not turn around.

“Manny is a great leader,” Siegel said. “He sets the tone of positivity.”

Siegel said she was glad they could help with just one thing, and she is happy to see others out in the neighborhood helping each other.

As of Wednesday, there is no plan for the City to do a curbside brush pickup, but residents can drop it off at the City’s leaf and brush drop-off sites at no charge. The sites have extended hours through Friday, August 4 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. The closest drop-off site to Northeast Kansas City is at 1815 N. Chouteau Trafficway.