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Liz Gauffreau's avatar

Whew! You were fortunate to make it through unscathed. When I lived in Florida, I remember a news story of a woman who went outside in a storm to bring her dog in the house when she was struck by lightning and killed.

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Lev Raphael's avatar

The damage two streets over was insane, ditto the damage on the street behind us. Ours was minimal by comparison and nothing hit the house.

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Liz Gauffreau's avatar

Our damage from bad storms tends to be minimal as well. My husband had a big pine tree next to the house taken down because he was afraid it would take out our roof.

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Terry Odell's avatar

Having (reluctantly) lived for 30+ years in Florida, I learned to respect the power of Mother Nature. Glad you're all right, and sorry about the trees.

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Lev Raphael's avatar

It could have been much much worse. At least we had a generator because some neighbors didn't have power for five days.

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Terry Odell's avatar

We lived through 4 hurricanes in 2004 in Orlando and were very lucky. The street around the corner was in the 'wrong' place and lots of trees came down. Friends in another area of the city lost old growth oak trees and were without power for (as I recall) about 2 weeks because the trees blocked the road so no workers could get through. We rarely lost power in Orlando, but here in the mountains, with power lines above ground, it happens more often, so we now have a generator that will run the "essentials."

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Lev Raphael's avatar

And the weather has gotten worse there over time.

We have a gigantic oak in our back yard that's been there over a hundred years. It's stupendous and inconceivable what damage it would do whatever way it fell if it ever did.

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Susan Oleksiw's avatar

Glad you all survived. We don't have tornadoes in my area (East Coast) but we do get a lot of wind and rain. One night I heard a crack but went back to sleep. In the morning a tree only a few feet from our house had landed on the neighbor's roof. We were lucky, but I understand why my neighbors farther down have taken down all their trees. We'll keep ours and cross our fingers.

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Lev Raphael's avatar

And the wind is getting worse on the East Coast where I'm from. https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/weather/stories-weather/nj-franklinville-gustnado-wind/4189552/

My youngest in State College reported a derecho and a tornado a few weeks ago.

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Susan Oleksiw's avatar

Yikes! I suppose that's going to show up in New England eventually. Glad everyone's safe.

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Lev Raphael's avatar

I know someone who was in FEMA under Obama and said the trend lines are bad for tornadoes, deluges, even earthquakes (because of fracking).

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X. P. Callahan's avatar

Whoa! Glad you are all OK. I grew up in the Great Lakes area and remember well the peculiar light that announces this kind of event. Stay safe!

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Lev Raphael's avatar

I remember the sky turning green and twisting like FX in a movie when a tornado damaged the East Lansing Train station building in the mid-80s, I think.

According to the Michigan meteorologists we read, the last time we had serious derechos here, though, was 1998 and 1980, but like all extreme weather, it's likely to be more common. I arrived in 1981 so I missed that one and don't recall the 1998 one. Likely in the west of the state or southeast.

Cleanup continues and is almost over, but the people in the house behind us are apparently on vacation and the trees down in their back yard and front yard are devastating. I can't imagine the shock when they return....

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Richard Donnelly's avatar

Hemingway said he always lived expecting to be killed at any moment. That's a pretty good edge.

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Lev Raphael's avatar

I wonder by whom? :-)

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Richard Donnelly's avatar

Or by what. And he really was brave. Robert Cohn in The Sun Also Rises was a vicious portrayal of a former pal, who informed people he had a gun and was looking for him. Hemingway told them to make sure he has my address.

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From Ritual to Romance's avatar

That’s terrifying. But I guess it’s good to be periodically reminded of our mortality? Glad you all recovered.

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Lev Raphael's avatar

At my age, I don't need a reminder or anything that builds character. :-)

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