It was a quiet normal day on Saturday and then all hell broke loose in the evening. Hail started tapping on the bedroom windows, then there were strong winds and torrential rain. In about 15 minutes, our evening went into overdrive. Hanno checked the big shed where Kerry and Sunny have all their possessions stored. That shed has flooded before but we were lucky this time and everything remained dry. Lightening was constant in the sky with 130,000 lightening strikes recorded and the rain and hail bucketed down. It was quite a storm, which I noticed they called a microburst on the news.
Above and below: just outside the front door.
This morning when we woke, Sunny and Kerry were off to work around 6am and when Hanno and I went outside, it looked like a war zone. Trees were down in the front and back yards and there were shredded leaves covering the lawn. Our garden umbrella snapped off just under the canopy and Hanno said an old tree near the creek was ripped out of the ground by the roots and dumped across the creek.
Breakfast was easy, everyone had the same thing - eggs, baked beans and fried bread.
The power was off from about 7pm Saturday night till 2pm Sunday and I was starting to get nervous about our freezers. Sunny has her full freezer here too but happily, they all survived. The internet went down on Sunday morning and when the phones ran out of power, it was silent and we started telling Jamie about the old days, before TV, computer and internet. 😉 It was such a fine opportunity I couldn't pass it by.
It will take a while to clean up all the mess. Hanno doesn't have a chain saw anymore but we'll get there taking it one step at a time. We're hoping the council has a special kerb collection because I know there are hundreds of people in our town and the next one who have a lot of storm rubbish to get rid of. I'll be adjusting the emergency numbers in my phone too. I used Hanno's phone yesterday and liked the way he has his emergency numbers organised in his contact list. It's always a good idea to think about these things after they happen and see if there are improvements to be made. I'll be doing that today.
I hope all my readers here are safe and sound - those close to me here and in much colder climates. I noticed in the news that snow is falling in the UK, Ireland, Europe and North America. Take care, my friends, and stay safe.
I hope all my readers here are safe and sound - those close to me here and in much colder climates. I noticed in the news that snow is falling in the UK, Ireland, Europe and North America. Take care, my friends, and stay safe.
So glad you are all safe and well.
ReplyDeleteOh my! I am glad that you are all safe and that the damage was not as bad as it could be (ie, a tree on the roof) Here in southeastern Pennsylvania we had snow, but it was manageable. Of course, there are always people who think they do not need to use any caution, and we saw a few of them in the ditch by the road. It was enough snow to look beautiful, especially with the holiday lights shining on it, but not enough to be a nuisance! Nacho (my chihuahua) has mixed feelings about it. :D
ReplyDeleteI hope everything gets back to normal soon.
So glad no one was hurt and the shed did not flood! Little by little is the only way when we are older. That was quite an amazing storm! The number of lightening strikes was shocking.
ReplyDeleteI often find it difficult to comment as I find the comment boxes tucked away.
ReplyDeleteToday your appeared clearly. Gjal nothing bad happened to any of you. Storms these days seem more violent .
I'm glad to hear you all are safe, Rhonda.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like there are extreme weather conditions everywhere. When hurricane Irma hit Florida, it took over a month for the city to send trucks to pick up debris in our area. They prioritized the hardest hit areas first and then move slowly to other areas.
Take care.
XX
Nil
I am so pleased you gave us an update, Rhonda. I have been worried about you. I was looking at the damaged houses online to see if yours was there and was hoping no trees landed on your house. Even Australia Zoo was closed for the day apparently. Thankfully you are all okay. Stay safe.
ReplyDeleteHI Chel, that house over the back fence near where we had morning tea had a tree on its roof and the family at the end of the street had water under the eaves and might lose their carpets. I think we were lucky. Yes the zoo closed for the day and Steve Irwin Drive was closed for most of the day as well.
DeleteGood Morning Rhonda, so glad to hear you are all safe and sound. Isn't it amazing how much damage can be done in such a short outburst.....it gives you a healthy respect for the power of nature I think, and reminds us just how much the weather can either help or hinder depending on her mood. Now is the time when neighbors help each other....maybe one of yours has a chain saw and could do any cutting that needs to be done? x
ReplyDeleteGoodmorning Rhonda,
ReplyDeleteGlad everyone at your place is safe, and that all the food in your freezers was okay too. I travelled up to Morayfield yesterday to visit my sister and wondered why there was a flashing sign saying that Steve Irwin Way was closed, I believe Australia Zoo got quite a hammering too. I am sure the council will be out and about to help with the clean up, it must have been quite the storm. Have a lovely day.
Fi
Glad to hear that you are all safe - but it must have been very worrying. Take care during the cleanup - don't overdo things.
ReplyDeleteWe are expecting up to 10 inches of snow over the next few days and they are predicting a white Christmas but we have an army of sanders & salters to clear the roads and if the snow piles up too much they send out huge dump trucks to remove it so we should be fine. I bought extra milk and bread so that I don't have to go out for a few days if I don't want to but since the subway station is right across the street I'll still be able to travel around town without too much problem if I want to go out. Take care.
Yeah wow, I was wondering about you when I drove through Landsborough this morning and saw all the trees down. We didn't get anywhere near as bad but it was still pretty wild in Montville. Very loud cracks of lightning. Glad to hear you are ok.
ReplyDeleteMorning Rhonda. I was thinking about you and your family and your home. My brother near Ningi way says they did not feel the brunt of the storm. Still need to check on some others near Noosa and Caloundra.
ReplyDeleteGoodness, I'm glad all is relatively well with you.
Take care, Brigitte
Hi Rhonda,
ReplyDeletegood to hear you are all safe, and hoping your fruit trees and vegetable garden were not too badly damaged.
Madeleine.x
All the corn was flattened, Madeleine, apart from that, all good.
DeleteGlad to hear everyone is safe and fine. Here in California, it has been nothing but fires. We are a large tinderbox. Now it is Southern California. We lost over 5000 homes in our town (in Northern California) back in October. The clean up begins! It seems the weather is funny all over.
ReplyDeleteHopflower, we see the images of the Californian fires frequently on our news here. It's absolutely terrifying. I'm sorry to read of the losses in your town and now down south. I'm sure my fellow Australians join with me in sending best wishes to you and your neighbours. I hope you all stay safe.
DeleteMorning Rhonda. Sorry to hear of your damaged/downed trees, but pleased to hear no serious damage to you or your loved ones. Sounds as though Landsborough took a battering and I have friends who are still without power. Thankfully, by all accounts, no damage at ours. Cheers Lyndie
ReplyDeleteHi Rhonda, I'm glad that you were safe during the storm, and that your shed didn't flood. We've had fires here, as hopflower said. I am in Southern California, and I was stunned to see the blaze that was happening just fifteen miles from my cottage. It sure makes you appreciate the little things. I'm sorry about your corn. My fence was completely flattened by the wind, and I just had it replaced. This time it has cemented posts, so it should be secure for the long haul. I have a small electric saw that my ex boyfriend gave me. It is very handy for cutting up branches. I hope a neighbor lends you one, or that you buy one. It's perfect for a woman, nice and light. Take care Rhonda!
ReplyDeleteI knew you were in California but wasn't sure where. You take care too. xx
DeleteOur fires were two and half weeks in the fighting. It was awful. The air quality was terrible; homes and properties going down by the minute. Fire is an amazing thing. The main fire ended one and one half miles from my house. Too close for comfort. It is always frightening, isn't it? Good luck and many blessings to you. We had over 15000 firefighters here, some from down your way in Southern California, and out of state. And yes, even some Australians came so far to help us. We are most grateful for everyone's help.
DeleteI am glad to hear that you are all fine. Three inches of snow here but no power outages. I am so glad your freezers stayed frozen.
ReplyDeleteHi Rhonda,
ReplyDeleteI'm happy everyone was ok and that there was no major issues with trees coming down. I'm glad that the power outage didn't affect you too much.
Crafty Gab
I was thinking of you yesterday ,and I thought it would be good to visit you to see if you were alright. The damage was extensive around Landsborough and Beerwah. Glad you and yours survived with little damage and no one hurt.
ReplyDeleteGoodness what a shock that must have been! So pleased to hear that you are all OK and not too much damage to your garden.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes, Leonie
I'm so sorry that you have been hit by that awful storm, but very happy to hear that you are all fine. Take care dear Rhonda, and as you say, it will all be cleared up one step at a time - better than ever if I know you and Hanno.
ReplyDeleteScary stuff! A microburst is a very violent weather event, we experienced one in the middle of the Atlantic ocean when my husband and I were sailing from the UK to the USA on our 40 foot boat. It was one of the most frightening experiences of my life! Currently in the UK we are snowed in at our sons house where we are looking after his dog. Sadly he does not keep a full pantry and I am having to be rather inventive on the food front! Wish I was back on my boat where we are always prepared for the unexpected!
ReplyDeleteGerry (had to use hubbies sign in!)
Storms such as yours are frightening Rhonda and the cleanup is awful so I hope you and Hanno have some help with the hard work. So pleased your freezers weren't affected which is what always worries me.I know you are like me and put in a lot of time keeping them well stocked. Take care and I hope your cleanup progresses well. Pauline
ReplyDeleteHow are you organizing the emergency contacts? I have mine saved as ICE1, ICE 2, etc (ICE = in case of emergency) with the person's title (e.g. husband) asnd name. They say authorities look under ICE in your phone to find a person to call if you are unconscious, so that's why I put it that way.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are mostly ok and have power back!
Sorry to hear about the devastation to your area Rhonda, hope everyone copes well with the clean up. Often this is the time that communities are strengthened as everyone pitches in and helps out. I do enjoy storms as I like their drama, however extreme weather does make me nervous and property damage and injured people is never good news.
ReplyDeleteXX Herford Hare
Glad to hear you didn't sustain too much damage. The wild weather has caused so much turmoil and anxiety. When it was Melbourne's turn the previous week we were told to expect a 10 out 10 storm. We didn't get the massive thunder, lightening and hail predicted but did get 100ml of rain. Thankfully it was steady rain that didn't cause too much flooding around the city. Nonetheless, the anticipation of extreme weather was stressful. I found myself feeling anxious about getting stuck in flood waters and worrying about family travelling on trains that would get stranded. It seems that wild weather is becoming the norm globally and we will have to accept and adapt to it.
ReplyDelete