One tree tops out and hits the house in the front... scrapes down not big deal... then tree number 1 falls on the house with a large boom. Again no penetration, scary but so far so good. Things are just getting started… then the big boom comes... by now I'm used to it, Angie is not... she jumps up... why is there a breeze? and why does it smell piney fresh?!?!
Oh theres a hole in the wall... will you look at that... hmm better check the attic... hey there a tree in here! That's not supposed to be there!
So every time the wind blows hard the roof is heaving and caving in... mind you all of the rafters are just shattered and the major spine of the roof line is cracked up. I better brace this up before it comes through the house. I go out in the height of the 1st part of the storm to the garage, where are the framing nails... damn it!!!! Every kind of nail and screw under the sun except framing nails. I go back up in the attic and fashion some bracing that is dubious at best. I am sure that the tree is eventually going to cave in the rest of the way but I've done the best I can with what I have. Now on to the room... water is pouring in by the bucket loads and this is where all my props are! Get everything out I can... throw down a a drop cloth we had handy and start putting tubs in place to catch the water.(dumping those every 20 minutes sucked!)
As I go downstairs I see light shining from across the street... it's a neighbor shining a light into the darkness trying to get a view of the storm... mind you the storm is at full roar at this point... I decide to chance it and run out 4 doors down to his house to see if they have nails. THEY DO!!! Back to the house and I am able to fabricate a frame work to keep the roof caving in further. Lucky!!
Once the eye hits I see the damage from the out side and wonder just how good the frame I built will hold up... it eventually started to give way but held out just long enough to get us through the storm. Afterwards we were lucky enough to know someone who can help get the tree off the house, but in doing do we managed to sheer off the natural gas meter sending a plume of natural gas in the air. We had to pick up the meter restab it in to the pipe and turn the valve. It stopped the flow after a few tense minutes. Right now it's propped against the house to keep the flow off.
