FYI: Lots of damage in the neighborhood

It’s funny how little control I actually have over the agenda after I post it at 6:30 in the morning.

I was at the Wellness Center about to embark on my 3.3 miles when I joined the crowd watching the weather on TV. At the time a tornado had been spotted along Mount Vernon road, which is not far from my house. Damage had been confirmed at the airport, which is even closer to my house.

I figured I better start heading toward my house.

Laurie and the kids were already at school, so I didn’t worry much about them. Schools have training on how to handle these things, more than I do.

When I turned on the road to the neighborhood, it was blocked by either a downed tree, a downed power line or both. Not a good sign. I made it home through the detour and turned into the neighborhood to find people walking around looking at their houses and talking on cell phones.

When I got home I saw a trampoline in my neighbor’s yard, or at least parts to a trampoline. My neighbor doesn’t own a trampoline, but I used to.

Our dog, Chipper, a 10-month old beagle, was inside the sun room sitting by the locked door hoping that someone would be home soon to open it.

After quickly surveying our house and yard, I began a walking tour of the neighborhood. I saw Daily Journal reporter Danza Johnson and photographer Todd Sherman out doing what we do. I stopped to help carry boards to a group of guys on top of one roof trying to secure a tarp before the rain started again.

I have seen no homes destroyed. I have seen two homes with holes in the roofs. Most of the damage I have seen has been to roofs that have lost shingles or wooden fences blown down. Most of the damage is to homes near the front of the neighborhood, including one to a Japanese family that recently moved here to work at Toyota. There are lots of downed trees.

My home has damage — very slight damage — to a patio roof that was sustained when the trampoline blew up, hit the roof and began its journey through the neighborhood as it disassembled along the way. I never liked that trampoline. The patio roof is now leaking from the rain that just began to fall. We have three trees down in the back yard, but all three fell the right way, hit no fencing and brought the stumps with them.

From what I can tell we never lost power here, at least not at my house. On the whole I’d say we — at least in this particular neighborhood — have fared much better than the folks in Union County who suffered in last Friday’s storm.

I think there was more substantial damage not far away, particularly at the Furniture Market, which I know was hit hard.

This is a clear reminder that God controls the agenda.

– PA