3rd time's the charm - remembering Treemageddon again and again

Treemageddon through the years

OK, message received. As soon as this one's over, we're buying a generator.

Also a week's stash of caffeine candy.

Hudson Independent Facebook page

This is the restaurant down the hill from us, the one we always go to. No rain yet, no real wind, and the Hudson is overflowing its banks. Already.

We're a good 35-40 miles from the mouth of the Hudson.

Storm still coming.

Meanwhile, back on topic, here's some math!

If the wind is 75 mph at ground level, it's 95-100 mph at the 30th floor, 125 mph at the 60th.

treemageddon, part two

Hell.

C. just looked out the window and saw that we have 4 trees leaning on their sides against the hill out back. I'm pretty sure all of them are toppled, though I can't see whether their root balls are exposed. Doesn't look good.

The ground is saturated from the rainiest August we've had in all the years they've been taking measurements, and a moderate wind was enough to push them over.

It's like the earthquake damage you see in countries without earthquake building codes. An earthquake that wouldn't faze Los Angeles levels Haiti. Right now, where trees and soil are concerned, we're Haiti.

remembering treemageddon

Our neighbors didn't have electricity for 5 days.

I'm trying to remember how high the winds were that go-round.

treemageddon, part 2

This is our road, which everyone calls "the bumpy road." We live on the left-hand side; the people on the right still don't have power 5 days after the storm. If you click on the photo you can see the scene in all its glory.

treemageddon

Just saw David Pogue's column re: treemageddon.

This is what it looks like.

We missed most of the excitement Saturday night because we were in the city watching a play, God help me.^* So, although the drive home was suspense-filled, we didn't figure out how bad it was 'til the day after when we got in the car to pick Jimmy up at his group home. Treemageddon is right. Block after block we saw huge, towering trees ripped up by the roots, lying akimbo across smashed roofs, smashed cars, and whole side streets. I'm not sure I had ever seen the root ball of a 6-story tree; in the space of one 10-minute drive I saw so many I lost count. Ed said it reminded him of when we drove through Los Angeles the day after the Northridge earthquake ogling all the crushed dingbats.

My neighbors across the way still don't have electricity & they don't see anyone working on the lines.



^* Drove there and back in a Prius without mishap. No common sense-y (family motto).