Saturday, May 28

The Aftermath, One Month Later


These huge trees were felled during the string of killer tornadoes that raced through areas in and surrounding Raleigh, NC in April. Several of them fell onto the roof of the adjacent church (which has already been repaired), but these trunks and limbs remain. I am not aware of what the numbers mean, but I assume it is the diameter. Maybe you know? You may remember me telling how the tornadoes decimated a portion of South Raleigh, only four blocks from where I work. There are still many piles of lumber and building parts in that area, as well as tarps covering roofs, blown off porches, etc., and rubble. I cannot imagine the devastation in Missouri, and I know from experience that what you see on television is but a minute part of the way it looks in person. My heart goes out to all the people who have been affected by our spring and summer storms.

19 comments:

srp said...

I know that the large tornado that went through Wichita Falls, Texas many years ago took years and years to get over. Even ten to fifteen years later there were still a few "slabs" left where no one rebuilt. One family rebuilt, but with the house under ground and only the garages on top.

carmilevy said...

I've been following David Waters on Facebook as he covers the aftermath in Joplin in words, images and videos. It breaks my heart, of course, but I'm comforted by the fact that Mr. Waters is the one doing the storytelling.

He's a colleague of Miles O'Brien, and has been covering shuttle launches with him for some time. A brilliant journalist who typically looks to the heavens is now bringing us right into the eye of the storm-hit region.

I wish Mother Nature didn't have to be so cruel.

Sparkling Red said...

Poor old trees. I can't even imagine what the people affected are going through. It's been a wild year for storms, and it doesn't seem to be over yet.

Kay Dennison said...

Yikes!!! I'm so glad your area wasn't affected. My heart goes out to those who were.

vicki Bennett said...

The root system on that tree is simply amazing. I wonder if they will sell the wood? That would be my guess, given the marks. We saw tornado damage when driving to the birding festival at the beginning of the month. It's really powerful to see the devastation in person, rather than as a news report.

LL Cool Joe said...

Terrible, my heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by these terrible storms. Having to rebuild your life after losing everything must be so very hard, and yet people do. The human will to survive is amazing.

Travelin'Oma said...

Tornados have terrified me since my first glimpse at The Wizard of Oz, but I've only experienced a minor one. Your patch of the country has been almost blown away this spring! We've got way too much rain, (snow predicted for Memorial Day!) but we're not complaining as we read the news of Tornado Alley. Take care!!!

Granny Annie said...

Just look at those giant trees that took hundreds of years to grow so big and in minutes became like twigs in the embrace of a tornado. It is unfathomable.

Star said...

So much destruction! In the past month there has been a tornado and sn earthquake where I live. Both very minor , but almost unheard of here. What is going on?

Pat said...

These devastating freaks of nature seem to be happening with greater frequency. Why?

Grannymar said...

All that devastation was heart breaking to watch at a distance, my heart goes out to all who suffered loss of any kind.

Celia said...

I can't imagine how hard hearted the Republicans are to try to hold hostage money for Joplin in order to force their will on the rest of us. The trees in your pictures are the visible sign of what has happened to the people around them. Some will never recover.

Arkansas Patti said...

Sadly the media leaves but the clean up goes on for a very long time with little notice except by those trying to rebuild.

Ginnie said...

Amen, Judy.

Tracy said...

Yeah, there are still homes in our neighborhood who have holes in their roofs and trees that are down. I hear they are picking up until June 1 but then they aren't doing it anymore...really?

Fran aka Redondowriter said...

Everything that has been happening in your part of the world and the midwest boggles my mind. Thank God it wasn't worse in Raleigh.

Gilly said...

I hadn't realised that the tornadoes were so close to you! So glad you are safe. Perhaps I should get to grips with the geography of the USA!

I feel so sorry for the people of Joplin and other areas where the tornadoes have ripped lives apart. We are praying for them in our church, and so are a lot of other churches.

joared said...

That's a pretty good size tree. Glad you've survived all the worst. Horrific tornado year in so many places. I recall my Aunt describing their tornado experience years ago in northeastern Ohio. The worst they experienced was a twisted garage door, but neighbor's house a vacant lot away wasn't so fortunate.

Taradharma said...

Unbelievable. I've been in some windstorms, but never a tornado. Although, here is N. Calif., we've had many warnings today and 2 have touched down an hour or so north of here - and west of Robin and Roger.

We're more used to the earth shaking and rolling -- we're comfy with that!