The storm was suppose to hit at about noon on Saturday but when we woke up around six am, it was raining and there were some pretty strong winds. Ted and I went outside to bring in outdoor furniture and do a final sweep of the yard. While Hudson played and watched TV I was cooking away in the kitchen. I made a few pizzas, pasta salad with vinaigrette, hard boiled eggs and some power cookies. I was convinced we were going to loose power, and not get it back for a few days.At this point it was raining and windy, but not yet hurricane force.
We tracked the storm on TV, carried on with normal inside chores, and checked in with friends and relatives that were in the storm's path. Right when I was putting my son down for a nap, there was a giant thud and the house shook. I knew we were hit, and for half a second I thought to continue with the bedtime routine, then investigate. Instead I scooped up Hudson, and we soon discovered a tree from the front corner of our yard had hit the house and was resting beside the chimney. Thankfully, no glass was broken, the roof was mostly in tact and no one was hurt. I took my camera outside and thought it would be faster and easier to just take a video than try to snap a bunch of pictures. Was I foolish to go outside in the middle of the hurricane? Yes! This storm lasted over 18 hours, and there were powerful gusts throughout the day, but the rain and wind were not constant. I felt like if I was outside for a just a minute, I would be fine, although there's no real sanity or truth to this belief. When Ted went outside he said he saw a crack on the chimney I thought he meant at the top of the chimney, and I didn't see it. The 60 or so foot tree was resting between our chimney and our roof so for the next 3 hours we feared what was going to happen next.
Hudson went down for a nap soon after--he was totally unphased by all of this just saying, "It's windy!" all day. I think my heart-rate was up ALL DAY LONG! We weren't even in the worst of the storm yet. I thought we were totally screwed. You never knew when the next gust was going to hit and what was going to happen when it did. I should probably preface all of this by saying we are surrounded by mature, gloriously tall trees. I felt like we could be hit from any side, at any time. Ted got on the phone a few minutes after the tree hit to start our Home Insurance Claim. He figured we may have more damage but at least this way we'll be first in line when they do come out to assess! Smart guy because our adjuster was here on Monday, two days after the storm.
Just before 4 pm, I was in the kitchen taking a short video clip of the trees blowing in our backyard when we hear a monumental crash. Metal crunching, and many thuds. Ted said, "There went the chimney." I must have cut off the video a second or two too soon because unfortunately this was not caught on the audio of my clip! The tree fell all the way, as we had feared it would, ripping down about 15 feet of chimney and crushing our heat pump for the downstairs. We were again so fortunate the windows didn't break, and everyone was fine.
After we took our post-hit video update, Ted went to the garage to start fashioning a plywood barrier for the part of the attic that was left exposed to the elements. Most of the chimney that fell was above the roof-line, but where it met the house, there was no drywall so our attic insulation and beams were left exposed. Fortunately we still had power so he was able to use his power saw. We also put a bucket in our fireplace to catch any rain that could just be pouring in. I don't know if it's because of the other trees in this area but we didn't have much rain come in to either place, fortunately!
The next 9 or so hours were uneventful, so to speak. We never lost power, and even though two trees fell in our backyard they fell towards the other trees so there was no damage. I was still nervous that night and I didn't want Pam to sleep in her room on the third floor. I didn't win that battle, but I did convince everyone Hudson shouldn't sleep in his room which has a ginormous tree in front of it. He was happy to sleep in his pack and play in a room that seemed the safest.
Should we have to experience this again, I don't think I would change anything we did the day of the storm. We tried to not worry our son, and we're glad he was too young to know any better! I'm glad I cooked a lot because that helped me stay relaxed and all the prep helped me feel like I was as prepared as possible!
Stay tuned for the follow up articles, we have learned so much from the process, and we're only halfway through.
Hurricane Irene: Before the Storm
Hurricane Irene: Hit! Saturday, August 27, 2011 (This page)
The three days after the storm
The weeks and months after the storm (link coming soon!)
Surviving without climate control for three months (link coming soon!)
Let the demo begin
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| Very glad the windows did not break! |
Hudson went down for a nap soon after--he was totally unphased by all of this just saying, "It's windy!" all day. I think my heart-rate was up ALL DAY LONG! We weren't even in the worst of the storm yet. I thought we were totally screwed. You never knew when the next gust was going to hit and what was going to happen when it did. I should probably preface all of this by saying we are surrounded by mature, gloriously tall trees. I felt like we could be hit from any side, at any time. Ted got on the phone a few minutes after the tree hit to start our Home Insurance Claim. He figured we may have more damage but at least this way we'll be first in line when they do come out to assess! Smart guy because our adjuster was here on Monday, two days after the storm.
Just before 4 pm, I was in the kitchen taking a short video clip of the trees blowing in our backyard when we hear a monumental crash. Metal crunching, and many thuds. Ted said, "There went the chimney." I must have cut off the video a second or two too soon because unfortunately this was not caught on the audio of my clip! The tree fell all the way, as we had feared it would, ripping down about 15 feet of chimney and crushing our heat pump for the downstairs. We were again so fortunate the windows didn't break, and everyone was fine.
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| So sad |
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| How I miss climate control! |
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| Ted's plywood patch |
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| Giant eye-sore root ball. |
Stay tuned for the follow up articles, we have learned so much from the process, and we're only halfway through.
Hurricane Irene: Before the Storm
Hurricane Irene: Hit! Saturday, August 27, 2011 (This page)
The three days after the storm
The weeks and months after the storm (link coming soon!)
Surviving without climate control for three months (link coming soon!)
Let the demo begin
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