Those plants all horizontal there are what's left of my little banana grove, picture taken a few hours after Ike cleared off. Fortunately, that's about the worst of it for my own home; little real damage. We filled about 12 large trash bags full of leaves and other downed foliage. It's not that my yard is that large, either, but that kind of weather is rough on trees. 
My next-door neighbors on both sides lost fencing and some larger parts of trees; the picture of downed fencing is from one of my next-door neighbors. Most of the homes in our neighborhood (a half-hour drive from the beach) have nothing worse than downed trees or fences, maybe a few missing shingles. I noticed that the poorly-maintained homes didn't fare as well; mental note: make sure to re-check home maintenance each year before hurricane season. 
The third picture shows the most damaged house I've seen in our neighborhood. You can't see the whole tree in the picture, but the whole tree was plucked up like a weed with its roots hanging. This particular home is on the outer edge of our neighborhood in the direction from which the wind was coming. What I'm not showing, I suppose, is all the uninteresting stuff: house after house without any damage, the trees (80% or better) that are still in the ground and some that even kept all their branches, that kind of thing. The neighborhoods closer to the water had more damage. There's still plenty of work to do.
You are indeed fortunate. Have you been in that area during previous hurricanes?
ReplyDeleteYes, I grew up here, so it's not exactly my first hurricane. The last time I was here for such a direct hit was Alicia (1983). Looked about the same then: fences and trees and shingles, but the houses mostly fine this far inland.
ReplyDeleteTake care & God bless
Anne / WF
I'm sure glad that you're okay. I didn't realize that you were in the path of that monster.
ReplyDeleteHi BK
ReplyDeleteGood to see you, & thanks for the kind thoughts.
Take care & God bless
Anne/WF