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SINGAPORE – A rain tree fell on the four-story Kismis Court condominium on Toh Yi Road, damaging at least three units and two cars.
No one was injured in the incident that occurred on Monday (March 1) around 10 p.m.
The owners of one of the damaged units, on the third floor, told The Straits Times they were asleep when they were awakened by a loud roar.
Alan Woo, 78, and his wife Ellen, 76, got out of bed, drew the curtains and were surprised to see a fallen branch pressing against the closed window.
Residents said the tree was at least 50 years old and taller than their four-story block.
Speaking about his unit’s ordeal on Tuesday, Mr. Woo, a retired businessman, said: “It was so loud that it sounded like an airplane falling from the sky and crashing into the building.”
He and his wife, a retired teacher, have been living in Kismis Court, which is near Bukit Timah Road, for more than 40 years.
The tree had bent their balcony railing, and the couple hope that their condo insurance or home insurance will cover the cost of the damage. His car, which was parked next to the block of the complex, was also damaged.
Another affected unit, belonging to their neighbor below them, suffered more extensive damage.
When ST went to her downstairs unit, the retired businesswoman who wished to be known only as 84-year-old Madame Fu showed how the garden was completely covered by tree branches, fallen tiles, broken glass, and Retractable awning that was once protecting your yard but had been ripped off by the downed tree.
One of its windows was broken.
Workers at a landscaping company used chainsaws to cut and remove branches.
Madame Fu, whose home is covered by home insurance, said it was not raining but it was a bit windy when she returned from a wake and saw the neighbors gathered outside.
“(The electricity) in my whole house went off,” he said, adding that gardening was his passion and that he usually went out to garden in the evenings.
“The birds always sang up there in the morning … It’s a shame,” he added.
The chairman of the council representing Kismis Court residents, 80-year-old Dr. Geoffrey Benjamin, said the tree was one of two old trees in the condo that arborists checked every two years.
Dr. Benjamin, an anthropologist, said the tree was pruned about two years ago.
He added: “The neighborhood council will meet to discuss the issue, but the details of insurance and claims will be left to management.”
Insurance agents told ST that home insurance could cover damage caused by a fallen tree, as it could be seen as a natural disaster.
Owners of auto vehicles damaged by fallen trees within private property can claim against their own auto insurance policy, and the payment amounts depend on the damage to the vehicle.
The damage will be verified by insurance inspectors.
To Madame Fu, although she was thankful that no one was hurt, she was saddened by her 40 potted plants, which included hibiscus, basil and pandan, that were crushed by the tree.
She said, “I can’t believe it. It used to be so colorful. Now when you look outside, it’s in ruins.”
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