As Toronto residents clean up debris from Tuesday's storm, some are disgruntled with the city's backlog on troublesome trees.
The Toronto Urban Forestry Department was flooded with calls about trees on city property damaging homes and cars on Tuesday.
Staff said they don't have enough funds or employees to deal with all the toppled trees or resident complaints.
The depatment is currently facing a backlog of 18,000 calls, which could take months to attend to.
Richard Ubbens, director or Urban Forestry, told CTV News it could be more than a year before a worrisome tree is looked at.
"That's anything from tree pruning to tree removal or somebody asking us to look at a tree that is diseased or they feel is in need of pruning," Ubbens told CTV News.
There are an estimated 7 million trees in the city, but only 160 field officers with the Urban Forestry Department.
At least two trees crashed into homes in the GTA during Tuesday's severe thunderstorm that brought high winds and torrential rains.
One resident remains shaken after a tree landed in her disabled father's room near Coxwell and Danforth Avenues.
"I found out that my father was actually in the house when (the tree) fell and a neighbour ran over to see if he was ok," the homeowner told CTV News.
"My father suffers from major disability and a heart condition, this could have easily have killed him."
The homeowner said the city had reassured her the tree was safe to remain on the property.
Two weeks ago a severe thunderstorm ripped through the GTA causing similar damage.
If a tree is on private property, you don't need a permit to have it pruned or maintained by a private company.
However, residents must seek city approval to have a tree on private property removed.
The process could take several months, especially during the summer high season.
If a city tree is cut down on city property without a permit, a fine of up to $10,000 could be imposed.
With a report from CTV's John Musselman
