Devastation. Mayhem. Havoc. Chaos. They all happened last Thursday. Winds of 140 km/hour lashed Tasmania [1, 2]. Including our property. For hours and hours. At home I could hear trees crashing. All morning I was too scared to venture outdoors. Mid-afternoon I went out – as I had to feed hay, collect mail, and feed Sharon’s dogs. Our driveway was blocked by fallen trees, so I walked. And I heard, and saw, more trees crashing down. As I walked east to the post office, the westerly tailgail was so strong I had trouble keeping my footing. Roofing iron flew through the air. And I was worried about electricity wires coming down on me. By the time I walked home, more trees had fallen on the driveway. Once home I stayed home. That night I lay awake listening to the wind howl. At 4 a.m. Friday it quietened. Then I slept for a few hours. On Friday morning I walked all the fencelines. See some photographs here [3]. On Saturday morning my neighbour Todd’s father Daryl cleared the road. How kind of him to help me like that. The rest will take months to clear up. Maybe years. But at least I’m safe. And my house and Pete [4] are unscathed. How do I feel? Bereft. Distraught. Empty. Brokenhearted. I love my land. And its trees. Some fallen trees were over 100 years old. I know I’m not personally to blame for what happened. But what happened I feel personally.
4 days ago
5 comments:
That must have been terrifying. Mother Nature is a truly awe insipiring lady.
Glad to hear all are safe.
WOW, glad to hear there were no deaths of persons or sheep, the climatic forces are amazing once they unleash.
What takes a few minutes to destroy, takes years to repair, good in a way , keeps us humble.
Sending so much love to you, FD. How terrifying. And how fortunate that you are safe and unharmed. xx
I just looked at the pictures, that really was a dreadful night, but the climate change denyers(Sp?) will ignore the gravity of these freak weather events.
I too am delighted that you and Pete and the house survived. Pete looks very lovable.
When I was little, (so were you, come to think of it) Hurricane Hazel blew into our town. I was standing on my toes, looking out the window at the street. A river of water was blowing down the road; all the ditches were submerged, and the current produced waves; a sight that seemed miraculous then, and a sight that remains with me.
It is fortunate that you were not stuck by debris on your sojourn during the storm. Had you been struck, with winds at that velocity, you might have fallen and really hurt yourself. Your friends have probably scolded you already. Add my voice to the chorus.
An American comedian, Ron White, puts it this way, "it isn't that the wind is blow'in, it's what the wind is blow'in."
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