….. it’s been a glorious October but I’m just not enjoying anything. I was out of work for a full week because my offices were shut down due to no power or water, and currently one office still has no internet (meaning also no phones) upon which we rely for everything. I also had to very reluctantly cancel a most wonderful “surprise” Fall trip somewhere really nice because
So sorry to hear this. Prayers for you and the town. I hadn’t heard a peep about Augusta.Thanks for asking, Pedro….Not much damage to speak of at Augusta University, mostly trees lost, but that’s not true of the rest of the city, especially the west Augusta neighborhoods which pretty much don’t exist anymore. Neighborhoods that I grew up in, now totally unrecognizable. No more landmarks………………. Nobody really knows “what happened here” because there was little to no coverage. It’s widespread, tragic, indescribable, and unspeakable. Street after street after street of damaged or destroyed homes, many total losses, and logs stacked and piled up to 12-15 feet, making it hard to even see the houses. Scenes like this go on for miles, and around every corner. Georgia Power Company (largest utility company in GA) says it’s the largest and most catastrophic event in the history of the state of Georgia. Massive 100-ft (and ranging from weights of 3000-6000 lbs) pines fell over and crashed through people’s homes in the dark of night, while the rain fell, and it was like a war zone. The 10,000-12,000 linemen that have been heroically working here, along with the 100+ tree companies from every state east of the Mississippi, have all said the same—they’ve “never seen anything this bad in their careers”. They continue to work tirelessly. Almost a month now and still some areas with no power. We personally have had no internet or TV since Sept 26, the night “before” when everything went out. Little to no cell phone ability for a while, and still spotty now. 12 days of no power (lost all food, etc) and 9 days of no water. Lines, wires, cables, transformers still are broken, dangling, or laying on the ground as we speak. We drive over them as we enter our driveways. The piles and stacks of logs and debris won’t be completely picked up by FEMA and local agencies until April, they say.
I say there will be no “returning to normal” ever in our lifetime. When friends from afar ask, I lower my head and chuckle because they don’t realize what we experienced.
No "normal" is on the agenda, or in our conversations. We had simultaneously a Cat 2 Hurricane (with 100+mph sustained and unrelenting winds)
and TWO CONCURRENT TORNADOES that touched down randomly throughout our neighborhood and those immediately around us. My videos show the uncountable number of huge trees that have been removed from the roofs, now taken to the curbs in front of everyone’s yard--- now laying on the ground, stacked high, awaiting pick-up at a future date. And it costs tens of thousands of dollars to have the leaning or damaged trees cut down, or if laying on the ground, cut up and removed.
So far I’m over $XX,000, and the humongous stumps/root balls from 90% of the trees falling over now dot the landscape, and the costs to remove those will be extra,
not to mention losing fences, other yard clean-up, and re-landscaping.
The city’s beautiful landscape has changed forever and people’s lives have been affected in so many ways. And yet, thankfully, miraculously, very few deaths,
which is only by the grace of God. We are struggling with taking care of regular things while we continue to work, and my going onto this TUG site
and reading about the “usual” is just not seeming very relevant anymore.
I open it and close it. Hope that changes later.
This long weekend we’re with my wife’s sister & husband in Atlanta just to have TV and watch a little football
I just cannot lose two weeks of work in one month. But we’re grateful that we’re all OK and safe……feeling very blessed........daughter lives 2 minutes away and along with her husband and children 5, 3, and 1-yo, survived the hurricane and tornadoes too.
They had no house damage either, but they lost both of their almost-new vehicles to a large oak tree that crushed them both—-total losses. It could have been worse. ……………………………………………………………………………
Asheville NC suffered unspeakably and many lost their lives and many are still missing, so please keep those in NC in your thoughts and prayers along with the citizens of Augusta GA. And of course those in Florida too. Best to all
and being together. (SEE BELOW!)
If you haven't made the day trip to either SAV or CHS, I'd like to suggest some options in SAV. The Pin Point Heritage Museum is interesting. Someone said that the waterfront is tourist trap, and it is but I still like a bit of a walk around it before heading through the historic squares dripping with Spanish moss. We took friends to SAV and had a hankering for authentic Cuban food. We ate at Rancho Alegre Cuban Restaurant at Jones and MLK Blvd.
That is crazy Marty, so glad you did not lose anything that can't be replaced and are starting to recover. Trees falling are very damaging. Lived through a derecho and tornado before but your event seems to have covered a wider area. Prayers for your recovery, and agree it has been overshadowed by other areas. Does the golf club help out? I imagine that is a huge financial impact to the area every year and that they would have the resources to help things get back on their feet.Thanks for asking, Pedro….Not much damage to speak of at Augusta University, mostly trees lost, but that’s not true of the rest of the city, especially the west Augusta neighborhoods which pretty much don’t exist anymore. Neighborhoods that I grew up in, now totally unrecognizable. No more landmarks………………. Nobody really knows “what happened here” because there was little to no coverage. It’s widespread, tragic, indescribable, and unspeakable. Street after street after street of damaged or destroyed homes, many total losses, and logs stacked and piled up to 12-15 feet, making it hard to even see the houses. Scenes like this go on for miles, and around every corner. Georgia Power Company (largest utility company in GA) says it’s the largest and most catastrophic event in the history of the state of Georgia. Massive 100-ft (and ranging from weights of 3000-6000 lbs) pines fell over and crashed through people’s homes in the dark of night, while the rain fell, and it was like a war zone. The 10,000-12,000 linemen that have been heroically working here, along with the 100+ tree companies from every state east of the Mississippi, have all said the same—they’ve “never seen anything this bad in their careers”. They continue to work tirelessly. Almost a month now and still some areas with no power. We personally have had no internet or TV since Sept 26, the night “before” when everything went out. Little to no cell phone ability for a while, and still spotty now. 12 days of no power (lost all food, etc) and 9 days of no water. Lines, wires, cables, transformers still are broken, dangling, or laying on the ground as we speak. We drive over them as we enter our driveways. The piles and stacks of logs and debris won’t be completely picked up by FEMA and local agencies until April, they say.
I say there will be no “returning to normal” ever in our lifetime. When friends from afar ask, I lower my head and chuckle because they don’t realize what we experienced.
No "normal" is on the agenda, or in our conversations. We had simultaneously a Cat 2 Hurricane (with 100+mph sustained and unrelenting winds)
and TWO CONCURRENT TORNADOES that touched down randomly throughout our neighborhood and those immediately around us. My videos show the uncountable number of huge trees that have been removed from the roofs, now taken to the curbs in front of everyone’s yard--- now laying on the ground, stacked high, awaiting pick-up at a future date. And it costs tens of thousands of dollars to have the leaning or damaged trees cut down, or if laying on the ground, cut up and removed.
So far I’m over $XX,000, and the humongous stumps/root balls from 90% of the trees falling over now dot the landscape, and the costs to remove those will be extra,
not to mention losing fences, other yard clean-up, and re-landscaping.
The city’s beautiful landscape has changed forever and people’s lives have been affected in so many ways. And yet, thankfully, miraculously, very few deaths,
which is only by the grace of God. We are struggling with taking care of regular things while we continue to work, and my going onto this TUG site
and reading about the “usual” is just not seeming very relevant anymore.
I open it and close it. Hope that changes later.
This long weekend we’re with my wife’s sister & husband in Atlanta just to have TV and watch a little football
I just cannot lose two weeks of work in one month. But we’re grateful that we’re all OK and safe……feeling very blessed........daughter lives 2 minutes away and along with her husband and children 5, 3, and 1-yo, survived the hurricane and tornadoes too.
They had no house damage either, but they lost both of their almost-new vehicles to a large oak tree that crushed them both—-total losses. It could have been worse. ……………………………………………………………………………
Asheville NC suffered unspeakably and many lost their lives and many are still missing, so please keep those in NC in your thoughts and prayers along with the citizens of Augusta GA. And of course those in Florida too. Best to all
