Hurricane Irene

Our hearts go out to the millions of people affected recently by Hurricane Irene. My oldest daughter and her family live in St. Mary's County, Maryland. They decided to stick it out and stay in their home for the storm. I don't think anyone in their area expected the storm to wreak the havoc that is did. Last Saturday the rain began to fall and by 4:00 pm their power was out and they spent the night in darkness listening to the howling winds, water pounding their home, and the snapping, popping, and crashing of trees. It was frightening! In the morning they surveyed the damage.

This area was a yard across from their property. Massive downed trees covered it.
Fortunately nothing fell on their neighbor's home.
Their home escaped falling trees, although one narrowly missed the front of the house.
This is a tree that fortunately fell parallel to their driveway.
Another neighbor's home was a resting place for a tree. Many homes in their neighborhood suffered tree damage and water damage. Adam took a drive through the neighborhood to see if they could get out and head for Pennsylvania because there were major power outages. Initially the roads were blocked by fallen trees, but folks with chain saws cleaned the way to Route 5. So they packed up the four kids and headed to our house.
Trees like this and much larger were everywhere. Area schools were used as shelters. We were happy to have them home and safe for several days, but were so sorry for those who had nowhere to go. On Tuesday evening they returned home. Power is still out in many areas of the county, but school starts back tomorrow - Thursday. We are thankful that they weathered the storm and are back home safe and sound. You never know when Mother Nature throws a hissy fit! Keeping those who lost lives and property in our prayers.