Riverdale woman finds tree in her apartment

RIVERDALE, Ga. - A Riverdale woman says she is so thankful she and her sons are okay after a tree landed on the roof of their home Wednesday.  

Shana Williams says no one was home when the tree crashed down on their apartment at the Forest Meadows Apartment Homes. She says one of her sons made the discovery around 5 p.m. when he arrived home from work.  

"The patio door was trapped by the tree branch that was on the patio, and we couldn't open it at all," said Williams.  

Williams snapped pictures showing a branch going through the roof of her balcony, and another going through the roof near her front door. 

"So, it landed straight across here, across my unit towards the front of the building," said Williams. "As you can see, it's two holes in the roof. One coming through the balcony and the other one in the inside closer to the front door." 

On Thursday afternoon, a tree servicing company removed what was left of the tree. A representative with the leasing office says a contractor will make repairs to the unit, and they do not want someone living in an unsafe apartment.  

FOX 5 received the following release from a communications company representing the company managing the complex: 

"A company that manages apartment communities got a big surprise its first day on the job. Today (Thursday, Aug. 15) at 9 a.m. was the start of an agreement for Stonemark Management to begin managing Forest Meadow Apartments in College Park. They immediately began work removing a tree that fell yesterday. 

"By 9:30 a.m. today, a company representative was with a resident, who had already received a free night in a hotel because her apartment was damaged. They told the resident that after the tree was removed a contractor would inspect the building and make repairs to ensure it is safe for her to re-enter. Meanwhile, Stonemark is arranging an additional hotel stay for her through Tuesday. 

"The tree was removed by noon, and work to assess the needed repairs is proceeding as quickly as possible. "It was a busy first day but Stonemark is up to the challenge," a company spokesman said. "Stonemark plans to work with the resident and is keeping her updated."