On Capitol Hill, damage from Hurricane Irene is due to rain, not wind. Mature older trees shade the streets, but many have rotted root systems, so the storm’s two days of heavy rain loosened their foundations, causing the trunks to come crashing down, either in the street or on nearby houses. The photo above shows the results on the 1200 block of C Street SE. Here’s what the roots look like:
There was no tap-root visible, just a patch of rotten wood in the ground that might have been its remains.
Short link: http://wp.me/p6sb6-aZ3
Cellphone pics by Mike Licht. Download copies here and here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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Tags: Capitol Hill, extreme weather, fallen trees, Hurricane Irene, Hurricanes, severe weather, storm damage, trees
NotionsCapital 
August 28, 2011 at 8:20 pm
UPDATES:
“Soggy Sigh of Relief in Battery Park City,” Amy Chozick, Wall Street Journal blog
After Storm, Markets Plan For Business As Usual,” Graham Bowley and Kevin Roose, New York Times
“In Fits and Starts, City Subways Will Return,” Jacob Gershman and Andrew Grossman, Wall Street Journal blog