Summer Storm of 2013

Last Friday it was hot and very humid.  Tell tale signs for a thunderstorm.  And that' how things were headings as the clouds grew dark and the air became very still.  The kids and I were in the front yard playing when it began to sprinkle.  I ushered them in and noticed more drops hitting the ground.  

Kristie got home from work and we sat down to supper.  I looked up and noticed that the rain was starting to come down in sheets.  Good thing I cleaned the gutters out a few weeks prior, I thought.  Then I realized that the upstairs windows in the loft above our garage were open.

In the matter of the two seconds it took me to go out one door, step three two yards and enter the other door, I was drenched.

When I came back down, it literally sounded like a freight train was roaring between our house and the neighbors'.  I looked up and the wind was whipping everything horizontally.

The first thought that came to my mind was tornado.  I have heard that they sound like trains.

I ran inside and told everyone to get into the basement.  But by the time we came to go downstairs, the storm was already over.

We have one large branch come down and land on some small playground equipment.  We had hundreds upon hundreds of other small branches scattered across the yard.  Our pool was half a block away.  The field behind our yard was flattened.

The worst damage happened to our neighbors across the street: they had several trees down (some torn out by the rooms) and several in their backyard twisted and ripped out.  One hit the corner of their house.

The owner, Todd, said he looked out the backyard and saw a tornado.  Judging from the devastation (and from what I heard) I don't doubt him.

The block was pretty much an impasse since half a dozen trees had tumbled over into the street.

So we helped an elderly lady across the street rake up some branches.

The next day we got to work on our own yard.

By late Saturday, things - in our yard anyway - looked back to normal.

Now - late Sunday afternoon - most of the neighborhood is back to normal too.

I did notice - mainly because we live on a street that is a dead end - a lot of traffic coming through.  I felt like I was in a movie or living at a famous landmark.

I just waved and kept on working.

I know some have taken offense to this via Twitter and Facebook.

But that's the digital culture we live in.  Once something happens, it's documented on social media.  So I have no problem with people driving around and documenting the devastation.

And if you're one who did take issue with those documenting the damage, I'm willing to bet that it's just because you were one who suffered damage.  If it hand't happened to you, would you have been driving around and taking pictures?

I'm willing to bet you would have.