Tree smashes into widower’s home
A ‘spur-of-the-moment decision’ to go to his barber to have a haircut, rather than take a planned Sunday afternoon nap in the comfort of his home yesterday, narrowly saved a 73-year-old widower from being crushed to death by a palm tree which came crashing through his roof and onto his bed. Still nervous as he spoke with the Guyana Chronicle moments later, Shieldston Roberts, of 497 Kiskadee Drive, North East La Penitence, could only give God thanks and for saving his life.

Roberts recalled that he had earlier arranged with his barber, who lives some distance away from his home, to cut his hair. But around midday, he said he felt sleepy and decided that he’d take a nap before leaving the home.

He said that as he was getting into the bed he received a telephone call from the barber advising him to come over at 13:00hrs since he would be free then and could do the job. Roberts abandoned the idea of taking the nap and went over to the barber’s.

Soon after, a young man who lives in the scheme came hurrying across to where he was, stating breathlessly, “Big man, big man, the tree fall pun yuh house!”

“I was so shocked I could not believe, but decided to return home, only to see the tree had crashed through my roof and smashed my bed,” said the 73-year-old.
Roberts who has been living in the rented building for just over two years, said he has always been concerned about the tree being so close to his house, and became even more so, after an infant was killed in her bed by a tree falling on to her house, also in East La Penitence.

The house in which Roberts lives is on transported property and not a squatter settlement.  The owner of the property, Sharon Wills, resides abroad, and was in Guyana just last month on a short visit.

Meanwhile, a plumber who on Saturday installed new gutters to the building said he had cautioned Roberts to get City Council to cut down the tree since it posed a serious threat to the building.