Storm sent me and the dogs into the bathtub for safety (dial-up warning)

[GenDem]

Friday evening we were at our little lake cottage when a very frightening storm hit. Still waiting for confirmation from National Weather Service as to whether it was a tornado. Winds clocked at 88 miles per hour for about 8 minutes, hail, and a torrential down pour.

We were warned by our neighbor that the radar showed a circulating thunderstorm across the lake to the west 10 minutes before it struck. Mr Gen had just ordered take-out. He left to pick up dinner and all hell broke loose. Thank God he got back in one piece.

When I saw lawn furniture tumbling end over end up our very steep street the dogs and I took cover in the tub.

tree that lopped off neighbors porch corner


another downed tree around the corner


car and garage demolished


Luckily we had no damage, but not so for many of our neighbors -- some who cannot stay in there cottages because of structural damage.



:scared:

[BarenakedLady]

1. Egads

Where was that?

We had a thunderstorm as well, however I was in a theater at Eastview Mall watching Pirates of The Caribbean so missed most of it.

[GenDem]

2. Silver Lake in Wyoming County

Near Perry and Warsaw.

I just photobucketed and sent my brother in Georgia all the pic's -- we own the cottage with him. He couldn't believe we got that kind of storm in WNY.

http://www.rnews.com/Story_2004.cfm?ID=49946&rnews_story_type=18&category=10

[GenDem]

3. Self Kick for the Oaks

We lost so many. It makes me sad to see 200 year old trees gone in a flash.
:cry:

[driver8]

27. Silver Lake??

Do you know the Mangano family??

I went to college with three of the brothers...I went to SUNY Fredonia.

[AggieGal]

4. That was some storm

to topple huge trees like that. Glad to hear you are OK.

[GenDem]

5. It was scary

It really makes me think about people that live in the Mid West and the hurricane prone states. I can't imagine 8 or more hours of strong winds -- or a tornado packing winds five times stronger than what we experienced.

[Richard Steele]

6. Yikes! That's no little sapling on the ground there!

That looks like it was one heck of a storm!

Glad everyone is OK.

[GenDem]

9. This tree that was in our next door neighbor's yard didn't fall,

but cracked front and back right down the middle. Had that fallen in the storm it would have hit my house. 200 year old tree that shaded the entire block.

They took it down on Sunday

[Nicole]

7. Sorry you had to go through that.

Glad you didn't lose anything or get hurt. :hug:


I live in the middle of tornado alley. No matter how many times I see damage like that, I never get used to it. :scared:

[GenDem]

10. Thanks, Nicole

It was incredible for our area. Our lake community will not look the same.

The saddest thing that I saw, besides the damage to peoples cottages and cars, was this poor Robin who's nest blew out of a tree right in my driveway. Strewn before the fallen nest was a few crushed eggs. After the storm passed the mother Robin kept flying down to the ground and looking at her family in progress and fallen nest.
:cry:

[Nicole]

12. Poor mama.

:cry:

I hate seeing eggs on the ground like that. :(

[GenDem]

13. We have a myriad of tree dwellers

Raccoons, squirrels, and many many birds. I'm sure that there are animal families with babies that are looking for a new home -- and many that may have not survived.

[stuntcat]

8. OMG

Well as long as y'all weren't hurt then everything's alright really.
The noises must have been scary, big things like that cracking and falling, I bet the dogs were confused :(

[GenDem]

11. My male dog is scared of wind to begin with

He didn't hesitate when I decided to jump in the tub.

The hail pounded for a good ten minutes. So much that it ripped perfectly round holes in all of the Hosta plants all around our neighborhood.

[ironflange]

14. Quite a mess, that must have been pretty scary

Good thing that's a Schipperke in your pic and not a Newfoundland. A couple of those with you in the tub and you might have been squashed anyway.

[GenDem]

23. I had plenty of room for a couple more Schipperkes

They fit nicely in the tub during a storm, with plenty of elbow room.

I have a friend that raises Newfs. They are a magnificent dog.

:hi:

[ironflange]

24. Mrs. Ironflange's family had a schipperke years ago

Cute little guy, but boy those Little Captains sure do yap! Well, that was their job, I guess.

[GenDem]

28. Yeah, they do yap

Mine aren't as bad as some, but they do send out a warning when someone comes by.

I babysat one about 10 years ago, and fell in love with the quirkiness. In the past we had big dogs -- Shepherds and Labs. It's funny that we got so attached to this small breed. We love our two Schips.

[wildhorses]

15. oaks' root system are shallow in the ground.

storms just rip them up.

:hug:

[GenDem]

17. They just seemed to peel right out of the ground

It's just sad that they have survived two centuries only to be dropped so violently at the hands of mother nature.

I'm surprised more pines didn't uproot. They have shallow root systems, but they survived -- I didn't see one down, and there are many.

[wildhorses]

20. the pines in my area have a deeper root system -- it is sad

about losing a majestic oak but, the cirlce of life in nature...

i am just trying to say (in my own inept way)

that at least they died an honorable death and lived a long and prosperous life.

:patriot:

:hug:

[GenDem]

22. So true

I was just thinking better this way than at the hands of a greedy timber corporation.

Circle of life.

:hug:

[SeattleGirl]

16. Yikes!

I'd go hide somewhere too, if faced with that! :scared:

[GenDem]

19. It was a wild night

I love T-storms, but not this one.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

18. Yikes!

I'm glad you're ok! :hug:

[GenDem]

21. Thanks Goddess

No one was injured -- just property damage.

I did see a boat cruising by just before the storm turned crazy. Now that would have scared the shit out of me.

[crim son]

25. Wow.

I'm so glad you're okay, GenDem. Those pics scare the heck out of me.

[GenDem]

30. Thank you, Crim son

That's so kind of you.

Did you get any nasty weather in Maine?

[crim son]

31. Nothing but a few minutes of showers this morning.

We've been lucky so far. I don't know how you could stand it, hiding in your bathtub, although I've hidden under a blanket under my stairwell in the past. The house wasn't hit but a huge tall tree right behind it lost about twenty feet of top growth. I've never been so scared!

[driver8]

26. My parents live in Northern NY and my Mom said it was the worst

storm she could ever remember! (She also grew up there.)

It must have been a helluva storm!!

[GenDem]

29. I'm 48 and it's the worst I can ever remember.

We lived in NC in the late 70's and saw some pretty bad T-storms there, but nothing can compare to this one.

I teach art at a school, and coincidently have two sets of twins in 4th grade, and both families own cottages on Silver Lake -- one up about a 1/4 mile from us, and one across on the west side. I had them today and we discussed the damage. The family that have the place across the lake lost 8 trees. The family on our side had a next door neighbor that had a tree go through their brand new Toyota Camry.

Where does your Mom live?

[driver8]

32. My parents live in Potsdam -- in St. Lawrence County

I graduated from SUNY Fredonia...do you know the Mangano family? I went to school with three of the brothers -- very nice family.

[driver8]

33. I'm sorry -- I confused Silver Lake with Silver Creek.

I started thinking about it and knew that Silver Creek was not in Wyoming County.

Sorry about that...

[GenDem]

34. Silver Creek is a lovely community

I've passed through a couple times. Best apples in the world!