Early this morning, very powerful thunderstorms moved through the area. We managed just fine, with only a few trees in our woods being broken off or uprooted. I received a call from my sister around 9AM this morning that my mom’s house sustained heavy damage.
I cooked lunch to take over for those helping, and here is what I found when I arrived around noon…
The storm blew the roof off Pop’s shop building. The roof smashed into the back of the house and…
gave a little extra ventilation in the breakfast room. It also…
Smashed into their chimney, breaking it off and sending it crashing through the roof into the living room! Wiring, duct work, and piles of wet insulation covered the living room. There was a HUGE hole in the roof. Rafters were broken and falling, sheetrock was crumpled, light switches were yanked out of the walls… They had lots of water damage. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what water does to laminate flooring!!
See the mantle in the above picture? There was a hurricane oil lamp sitting on that mantle… it was perfectly intact. Lots of things were spared, but it was a huge mess.
Remember the quilt I gave her for Christmas 2009? The one that had those color runs?? I thought I had that problem SOLVED… HAHA! It was on the couch in the living room and got very wet. It sat there for a while before they could get to it, and there are black color runs! I brought it home for washing and we will see…. if they come out, fine. If not, it will be a souvenir of the storm.
My brothers helped put boards to reinforce where needed, and tarps to help protect from further damage.
See the hump in the above picture? That is where the chimney is SUPPOSED to be!
Freezers and refrigerators had to be dealt with because the house was deemed uninhabitable by the insurance agent. It will be a while before they have power restored in the area, and even then, they won’t have power in the house until repairs are made. They will have to stay in a hotel until the work is done.
This has been a very busy and trying day, but we are so thankful that Mom and Pop were fine. Things can be repaired/replaced, but they are priceless!!
There were lots of downed trees in the town of Robeline and the surrounding area. I have not heard any reports of injuries or fatalities, so despite the damage we were very blessed. I am so thankful today that lives were spared for my family and others in the midst of the storm!
KAT
Wow, that must have been a powerful and massive storm. I was relieved to read that your Mom and Pop are fine, but I am sure they are shook-up from all the excitement and damage.
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