Author Topic: Friday (Read 4031 times)

I had taken Friday off for a couple of appointments and to get my car inspected. We'd been going through 3 days of 95 to 100 degree temps and the weather decided to break Friday afternoon. A really severe Tstorm cell went right over my house around 3:45 in the afternoon (I was home), the day turned pitch black and it started raining so hard you couldn't see out the window and blowing it all completely sideways. I heard a crack but couldn't see anything out of the living room windows, went into the kitchen and looked out just in time to see one of four oak trees in my front yard completely crack and splinter at about the 20 foot mark. 60 feet of it blew right off the end of the "stump", hit another tree and the rest fell on the roof of the house (took out a couple of parts of the front fence too).

The scary part was the other tree the broken part was leaning against was then being pushed into the power lines from the house and pulling them downward -- there was a broken line in the street but it ended up just being our old landline phone line which we haven't used for years. The roof is fine but we had the cops, firemen, power company and a tree guy we've used before out that afternoon to assess everything. The power company had its own tree guys out right away Friday to remove the part that was weighing against the other tree and pulling down the power lines and then they restored the lines to their previous position.

The tree guy comes out today to take care of the rest of the removal -- first time we've had to use the homeowner's insurance in 22 years in that house.

Luckily, there was no physical damage to anyone -- I was the only one there. Fun day!

Karin · « **Reply #12 on:** June 25, 2012, 03:12:16 PM »

Oh! What a pain in the ass! Glad nobody was hurt. Is your insurance company being good, or are they being shitheads about it?

njpines · « **Reply #13 on:** June 25, 2012, 04:11:33 PM »

Quote from: Karin on June 25, 2012, 03:12:16 PM

Oh! What a pain in the ass! Glad nobody was hurt. Is your insurance company being good, or are they being shitheads about it?

The adjuster comes tomorrow to assess the damage but I'm already sick over the $500 deductible I have to pay off the top. Just comes at a really bad time, financially.

IassaFTots · « **Reply #14 on:** June 25, 2012, 04:14:18 PM »

That is total suck! But, I am glad you are ok, and you didn't have any crazy electrical stuff going on.

vesta111 · « **Reply #15 on:** June 25, 2012, 04:14:49 PM »

Quote from: njpines on June 25, 2012, 09:06:13 AM

I had taken Friday off for a couple of appointments and to get my car inspected. We'd been going through 3 days of 95 to 100 degree temps and the weather decided to break Friday afternoon. A really severe Tstorm cell went right over my house around 3:45 in the afternoon (I was home), the day turned pitch black and it started raining so hard you couldn't see out the window and blowing it all completely sideways. I heard a crack but couldn't see anything out of the living room windows, went into the kitchen and looked out just in time to see one of four oak trees in my front yard completely crack and splinter at about the 20 foot mark. 60 feet of it blew right off the end of the "stump", hit another tree and the rest fell on the roof of the house (took out a couple of parts of the front fence too).

The scary part was the other tree the broken part was leaning against was then being pushed into the power lines from the house and pulling them downward -- there was a broken line in the street but it ended up just being our old landline phone line which we haven't used for years. The roof is fine but we had the cops, firemen, power company and a tree guy we've used before out that afternoon to assess everything. The power company had its own tree guys out right away Friday to remove the part that was weighing against the other tree and pulling down the power lines and then they restored the lines to their previous position.

The tree guy comes out today to take care of the rest of the removal -- first time we've had to use the homeowner's insurance in 22 years in that house.

Luckily, there was no physical damage to anyone -- I was the only one there. Fun day!

Geeeze NJ, you sound so calm about this.

One thing I did learn is when a large tree is taken down you can go to the town hall and claim this as a loss on the property value. These big trees are an asset to the property, loose one and the value of the property goes down. Home owners insurance should cover the cost for removal and clean up.

Hang in there Oak trees grow fast, replant a few and in 5 years they will be at 8 feet or more high.

Rebel · « **Reply #16 on:** June 25, 2012, 05:27:37 PM »

Quote from: vesta111 link=topic=74594.msg897130#msg8971

Hang in there Oak trees grow fast, replant a few and in 5 years they will be at 8 feet or more high.

Oak trees grow fast? What kind of nuclear-contaminated oak trees do y'all have up in Maine? They grow slow as hell down here.

IassaFTots · « **Reply #17 on:** June 25, 2012, 09:10:24 PM »

Quote from: Rebel on June 25, 2012, 05:27:37 PM

Oak trees grow fast? What kind of nuclear-contaminated oak trees do y'all have up in Maine? They grow slow as hell down here.

Maybe the heat slows em down, down heah.....

Rebel · « **Reply #18 on:** June 25, 2012, 09:21:24 PM »

Quote from: IassaFTots on June 25, 2012, 09:10:24 PM

Maybe the heat slows em down, down heah.....

As someone who was a Pre-Den major, and for some odd reason had to take two courses of Zoo and Botany, I'd put it at Vesta being full of shit. All trees are fed with water and sun, photosynthesis. It's their food. We have NO shortage of sun down here or water. My parents watered their Spanish oaks for 20 years. They were 2' tall when they planted them. Now? About 15'. Oaks are hardwoods. They don't grow fast. Look at what the Pacific NW is know for, pulpwood from softwood firs and pines. Those trees that are big as hell in Appalachia are probably at least 100 years old. Only tree I know that grows that fast is an evergreen(softwood). Vesta, as usual, is talking out of her ass.

IassaFTots · « **Reply #19 on:** June 25, 2012, 09:25:26 PM »

Dude, I know that, I was trying to make a funny.

Rebel · « **Reply #20 on:** June 25, 2012, 09:27:30 PM »

Quote from: IassaFTots on June 25, 2012, 09:25:26 PM

Dude, I know that, I was trying to make a funny.

Never been called a dude. Well, if you discount those other 5320 times. ;-)

vesta111 · « **Reply #21 on:** June 26, 2012, 08:24:19 AM »

Quote from: Rebel on June 25, 2012, 09:27:30 PM

Never been called a dude. Well, if you discount those other 5320 times. ;-)

Depends on where they are planted. My big oak in the front yard in the fall shed bags and bags of acorns some years, other years not allot.

My site is semi wet land, landlord squeaked by, by just a few points to be allowed to use the land as a sub division.

I have 3, 2 in front and one at the back of the house. None of the trees are in alignment, all 3 have their own schedule, This may depend on the slope of the land and the amount of rainfall we get.

One of my front trees has produced baby's and they do grow very fast, the adult trees over 50 foot grow by inches if that a year.

We had a large white Birch removed 7-8 years ago and the added sunlight may factor into growth rate for the other trees.

All I know is trees are individual themselves, much depends on outside influences, climate and changes in the soil or amount of sun they get each day.

Like it is said the grass grows greener over the septic tank.

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Author Topic: Friday (Read 4031 times)