Something like this happens with trees in Houston. Because water can only readily penetrate the ground in the strip of soil between the road and sidewalk, their

Something like this happens with trees in Houston. Because water can only readily penetrate the ground in the strip of soil between the road and sidewalk, their roots only grow in the strip of soil, and only have strength in the same direction as the street. So when a hurricane comes along, they tend to fall either straight out over the street, or straight back towards the house.