"The skies were lighting up, you could hear explosions, wires were coming down, trees were coming up and the lights went out, " she said.

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Get lost on the roads that wind their way up and down the hills of the Black Forest, where the summer sun filters through the canopy of trees to dapple the road in front of you.

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More than 5, 000 hectares of national park sit in virtual silence, trees arcing back and forth up and down the valleys, which stretch into mountain peaks.

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When a Florida developer cut down all the trees around what used to be a baseball field and started putting up condos, the town said, Enough.

FORBES: Local heroes

Ms Massai said many people had climbed onto roofs and up trees to escape the rising water, then fallen or hurt themselves as they came down.

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When a Florida developer cut down all the trees around what used to be a baseball field and started putting up condos -- "more of those damned chicken coops, " says Rick Kelley, Loon Mountain's general manager -- the town said, Enough.

FORBES: Local heroes