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helenh_gw

big tree smashed someone's house

helenh
12 years ago



I have a huge walnut in my yard too close to the house. I wonder how many thousands of dollars it would cost to remove it. It is a beautiful tree but if it ever fell it would smash the middle of the house. I have noticed in this tornado that many get away with it. I see lots of trees that have fallen and missed or only grazed the house. A few were not so lucky. At the end of the next block the top of a big sycamore caused major damage when the neighbors without sycamores sustained minor damage.

Comments (11)

  • teeandcee
    12 years ago

    Wow! That's incredible! I hope nobody was hurt inside the house.

  • christie_sw_mo
    12 years ago

    That's a scary sight. I bet the inside of the house looks pretty bad too. There would be water damage as well.

    Some trees are uprooted more easily than others but I suppose a F5 tornado like you had in Joplin could uproot just about anything.
    I think Walnut trees are considered deep rooted so hopefully that would make it less likely to fall on your house in a storm. In the ice storm that we had in '07, it was our hedge trees that fell completely over. Our other trees just lost limbs which isn't quite as dangerous. Still you don't want them on your roof. For peace-of-mind, you might want to have an arborist look at your walnut someday.

  • helenh
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    The area where this house is and the other one that was hit by the sycamore were out of the direct path of the tornado. Houses nearby had only windows broken and shingles off the roof. My friend's neighbor two houses away had two big walnut tree tipped over with big root balls in the air. That is why I am thinking about it. Whether or not I will act is another story. I already stay out of that part of my house when there is a storm.

  • gldno1
    12 years ago

    Helen, we had a couple of front trees that were blown over on the south side of the house (front) but just grazed it with the tops laying next to the house. Several years after the tornado, I found holes in the screens up high where the limbs had poked in. It also bent the wrought iron railing on the porch.

    I think we are safe now. The two trees west aren't very big yet. This all happened a few years ago when a tornado skipped over the farm and took out the pole barn.

    That was one reason we had the Elm tree removed from the drive this year.

    I looked at all your storm pictures on Photobucket. I am just awed by the damage done.

    I bet lots of storm shelters will be sold when people rebuild.

  • helenh
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I heard the train, I waited through the sounds of things hitting, but was not in the vortex on the ground. The low pressure made his garage blow out, but we did not get the high winds on the ground. I think where we were it was up higher. But I still can't believe it. I get lost going to Lowe's because I don't recognize the streets. I am not sure I would be afraid if I was in another warning because it is unreal to me. My friend's daughter spoke to him on the phone Sunday night and he was upset because the yard was full of tree limbs and his shingles and the garage was badly damaged. She tried to get to his house twice and couldn't by car. So the second time she got out and walked. She could hear people crying for help under buildings. By the time she got to his house she was very upset because in her mind he could have been hurt and down played it. After Sunday she crys when there is a tornado watch. We have had dry weather for two weeks. I bet there will be lots of people terrified in every warning from now on. I have been in Wal-Mart when there was rotation before. They shut down the registers and make you go to the middle of the store. Nothing hit when I experienced that, but I made a resolution not to ever go to Wal-Mart when there are storm warnings. You should see the cars driving around town. There are many with windows out and plastic taped on. One guy drove by with metal grinding something hanging and touching the wheel. It is not good to be in a car in one for sure.

  • helenh
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    This is what happened to the little house. They pushed it to the curb to be hauled away.

    This big two part trailer is what they are using to haul stuff to the landfill. These are all over Joplin.

  • helenh
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I have six animals to help me in my garden. If I had room for another I'd check this out.

    Here is a link that might be useful: animals to be adopted

  • christie_sw_mo
    12 years ago

    I didn't expect to see it bulldozed. That tree did a lot of damage.
    Still so many homeless pets! At the Joplin Humane Society website you can look through photos of them. There's a slide show of the special needs pets and you can scroll through the other animals below that.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Joplin Humane Society

  • helenh
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I shouldn't have looked at the animals especially the special needs ones that are just old. Now I am upset. I wonder what happened to the people who owned them? Pugs and Shis Tzus and a Pomeranian with no teeth. Somebody's babies with no one to care for them. Yes they are getting care, but old dogs and helpless dogs that were probably used to getting TLC. I think I'll give Honey a bath; he looks like a special needs dog. Thanks for the link Christie.

  • christie_sw_mo
    12 years ago

    I was thinking the same thing Helen. I shouldn't have looked. It's heartbreaking. Those animals must've been terrified when the tornado went through and now they've lost their owners.
    Are they asking for temporary foster homes for some of the pets? It seems like there would be some people in temporary housing where they couldn't keep pets now, but they might want them back later when their homes are rebuilt.
    .

  • helenh
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I think they have to do something with them; they've been in cages for a month. There are hundreds. They say the tornado animals will not be killed unless there is a good reason for it. The ones not taken will go to various no kill organizations according to the news. The animals will be spayed or neutered and vaccinated at no charge and no adoption fee.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Adoptathon -there is a short ad in the beginning sorry

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