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path of destruction

Last week it was the car accident that left us a little shaken.  This week … the weather has made the car accident look almost trivial.

Yesterday was the day of disaster, weather-wise.  Starting at 8am and lasting all the way until midnight, we were one of the areas hard hit by the rolling wave of bad weather that hit the Southeast.  Nearly every hour we rode through thunderstorms, high winds, hail, torrential rain and even several tornados – it didn’t seem to want to stop.  I’d never experienced anything as continuous and non-stop, weather-wise.

yesterday, behind our house ... when the afternoon sky turns dark as night, it's not a good thing

At our house, we can once again count our blessings, as we only have one large tree down and a few missing roof shingles.  Many of our nearby neighbors were not so lucky.  As of this morning, there were at least 9 deaths in our county alone, and 15 in Tennessee.  Surrounding areas, including north Georgia suffered even more catastrophic damage to homes and buildings.

sadly, I was told that someone had been inside this home (Mt. Zion Rd.)

sadly, I was told that someone had been inside this home (Mt. Zion Rd.)

I took a ride today several roads close to home, and was shocked at the destruction I saw.  People are outside milling around, almost shell-shocked.  The southern end of our road was still closed as crews worked to clear trees and power lines.   Many are still without power; fortunately ours returned to us late last night.

just down the road ...

neighbors ... feeling shell-shocked

buried in debris

Schools have been cancelled until Monday.  Prom has been postponed until … ?  There is so much “cleaning up” to do almost everywhere … I finally stopped taking pictures of huge downed trees, because there were just too many of them.

One of the strangest experiences while riding around was finding random pieces of peoples’ lives strewn along the road – in places far removed from where the actual destruction took place.  A piece of someones kitchen countertop lying on the edge of the road, clothing and carpeting flung against a farm fence.  Pieces of metal roofs and siding hanging from utility lines – with no idea where they came from.

pieces of a household stuck on a fence

carpeting on fenceline and downed trees

I’ve inserted a slide show of some of the scenes from yesterday’s sky, to the nearby damage I saw today around our immediate area.  I haven’t even ventured into town, or into other areas of the county.  Hoping my local friends are all safe, and my prayers go out to the families who have lost loved ones and suffered devastating damage.  Godspeed.

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