prairie point

natural disasters

About nine o'clock last night we suddenly got a tremendous sound and light show. I was expecting a little rain, but then the power went out and I looked out to see a major limb off the big cedar elm. During the lightning flashes I could see that it was totally blocking the road and that there were several smaller branches down in the yard as well.

Several cars came along and then had to back down the street until they could turn. After an hour of dramatic thunder and lightning the rain subsided enough that I could get outside. A fire truck came roaring up the street with siren screaming and plowed right through. Other people were in the street by that time too and a couple of us managed to get the limb off to one side enough for cars to get through.

I took a look around and realized how lucky we were. Next door there was half a tree on the roof and further down a huge oak was uprooted and was laying against a house. It looked like a window was gone. The owners had just moved out and luckily it was vacant and for sale. Someone had called them and they were in the driveway now to take pictures for the insurance. Neighbors gathered around. It had been a magnificent oak with multiple trunks.

I was reminded of my student days in Houston. It was common for the streets to flood in big rains. We would gather outside in the aftermath and it would feel like a party. Complete strangers would stop to talk about what it was like up the street or in the next neighborhood over.

I never found where the fire truck went. In the morning light most of the damage seemed less severe. Our cedar elm had a big vacant spot in the canopy but maybe it would fill in. Except for the vacant house there was no pernament damage. The electricity was still off when I headed off to work, leaving the tree debris in the yard for later.

Posted by Bill Hopkins on June 2, 2004 06:08 PM