Memory archive – the storm

(Reading the past entry: we did get a new a/c system, and the rash cleared up with the medication. If it happens again, I’m supposed to call for an oral steroid first, then go in.)

This entry is mostly about the storm. Other things have happened that I will surely forget (and already have), but let’s talk about the Storm of August 9. I have had some GERD issues for the past week and a half and have tried various ways to sit completely up, not just elevated in bed. I was propped up in the guest room when I heard glass break. I thought a cat had knocked something over and went out to check it out. It was something round at the bottom of the steps. As I got the broom to sweep it up, I noticed how bright and flashy and weird the sky was and that the power was out. Lloyd came down and I told him he’d need shoes. He was dressed and said the constant lighting was enough to dress by – he woke up from the power going off and turning off the fan, and also the big ‘booms’. * We could tell something was up … and then the storm alert came through the phones. Duh.

We had flashlights and shoes on, and we could tell that there was foliage of some sort up against the house. We could also hear….water? Sure enough, water was coming through the top of the kitchen window frame. What the what??

Well a huge chunk of the maple tree had blown over, hitting the roof (knocking a light fixture from the ceiling above the stairs – hence the broken glass) and damaging the soffit enough to let in the rain coming straight in.

Before the sun came up and after the storm passed, people were outside assessing damage with flashlights and already offering help to each other. Once the sun was up, you could see how bad it really was. We don’t have a lot of photos of the ‘before’ but Lloyd got out our chainsaw, as did many people, and set to work helping to clear the streets. I pulled branches as I could, and we met a lot of our neighbors. Several houses were in our situation – trees had pulled down the power lines – but the whole county was out of power.

Here are just some photos from our street. This is our neighbors’ garage. I don’t have a photos of the back of their house. Two enormous tree chunks fell and put a hole in their roof.

Here are photos from our house: The big chunk of tree in the light of day. It has a five-foot circumference. (I know because I hugged it.)

Here’s the edge the roof: It smashed the soffit so rain got in the corner. Fun side note: I’m writing this the next morning. We had more rain last night and it is wet in the kitchen again. Fun times.

Concordia has their athletic camps now and the football and volleyball teams cancelled practice and instead went around volunteering and helping people move the trees. It was awesome watching them work. This photo is down the street from us.

I’m trying to get a little movie to load that shows our street after the first clean-up, but it’s having trouble. I’ll work on it.

So, insurance has been contacted, there is more work to do today, and oh – the new school year starts in three days. Fun. Go to Brad’s site for photos from Beth and Harold’s situation.

(*Everyone else I’ve talked to said how the storm sound was actually like a train and I didn’t know why I didn’t notice that. Then I remembered that I’d been sleeping in the room with the air filter that is RUMBLY and LOUD.)