Aftermath of Hurricane Matthew

Posted in GeorgiaTagged , , , , , , , , ,

Category 2 Hurricane Matthew passed offshore close to our coastal Georgia home in the early morning hours of Saturday, October 8, 2016. We were safely evacuated in middle Georgia and we returned home to find our house in good shape with no damage. We were among the lucky ones. Many houses had some damage, mostly roof damage and flooding. Some residents had to move out of their homes so repairs can be made. Many other homes, like ours, were spared. Everyone we know was safe.

Many thanks go out to the volunteers who gave their time and/or money to help out those who needed it the most after the storm. There are many volunteer stories throughout the areas affected by Hurricane Matthew but these are a few that I personally know about in our area.

  • A huge thank to our neighbors who rode out the storm and immediately  started clearing the roads as soon as the storm had passed.
  • Friends who evacuated to a motel in a small Georgia town and waited out the storm by volunteering in one of the shelters housing fellow evacuees.
  • The owner of a moving company in Atlanta who brought some of his moving trucks and crews to help people move out when they were unable to remain in their home while repairs are being made.
  • A couple who drove down from Indiana to help people move out while repairs are made to their home.
  • Volunteers from churches and organizations such as the YMCA who helped clean up yard debris for those who were unable to do it themselves.

 

Roof from a neighbor's deck landed across the street from our house
Roof from a neighbor’s deck landed across the street from our house
Big trees were blocking roads in our neighborhood
Big trees were blocking roads in our neighborhood
A power pole snapped
A power pole snapped
Another blocked driveway
Another blocked driveway
Neighbors walkway to dock landed in the marsh
Neighbors walkway to dock landed in the marsh
Several docks had damage
Several docks had damage
A lot of big trees had to be cut up
A lot of big trees had to be cut up
A familiar site in the neighborhood
A familiar sight in the neighborhood
Downed power line in a neighbor's yard
Downed power line in a neighbor’s yard
A downed tree damaged a driveway
A downed tree damaged a driveway
Cranes were brought in to lift the giant trees
Cranes were brought in to lift the giant trees
What's left of one of the giant trees
What’s left of one of the giant trees

Its been more than two weeks since the storm and there is still a lot of work to be done. The sound of chainsaws and nail guns will be around for a while and it may be weeks before the debris can be cleared from the sides of the roads. Blue tarps on roofs is a common sight while the homeowners wait their turn for their new roof.

24 thoughts on “Aftermath of Hurricane Matthew”

  1. So glad to hear all is well. Our daughter road out the storm in Orlando (she was there on a worked related trip) and we stayed in close communication with her that Friday and we continued to watch the Matthews path.

    Like

    1. Thanks Ingrid! So glad your daughter is ok. While we were evacuated we spent many anxious hours watching the Weather Channel and checking updates on the internet. One neighbor who stayed sent us a picture of our house early Saturday morning. What a relief to see it still standing and no broken windows. We were truly lucky. It could have been a lot worse.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Susie, glad you are ok. With so many downed power lines in our neighborhood we thought it would be out for at least a week but thanks to crews from Alabama Power it was back on by Tuesday at 6:00 pm. We had generators running so we were able to save everything in our freezer. We were very lucky.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. I did think of you as the storm passed by you. So glad to hear you are all right and were smart enough to leave:) It is so nice to know there are so many wonderful people around to offer helping hands.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Pam, thank you. Yes, it could have been much, much worse. Luckily everyone in our area was safe. It was amazing to see how many huge trees fell within inches of a house.

    Like

  9. What a relief to hear that your house wasn’t damaged. It must have been so difficult to wait things out not knowing what was going on at home. How did St. Simons fare, do you know?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Brenda, waiting was really hard. Even though our neighbor who stayed sent us a photo of the house still standing we couldn’t wait to get back and inspect the inside. One of the things that really amazed me was that with all the tree limbs flying around there weren’t many windows broken. Also it was amazing how many trees just barely missed falling on a house.

      St. Simons lost a lot of trees and residents couldn’t return until the main roads were cleared. There was also some flooding but I don’t know the extent of damage to homes and businesses.

      Liked by 1 person

  10. So glad your home was spared and that you were safely away during the storm. But wow, that’s a lot of damage in your neighborhood! I grew up in Florida and know just how devastating hurricanes can be. My folks lost their dock during Hurricane Hermine in September, and it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Matthew.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Laurel, thank you. There was quite a lot of dock damage around the area. One shrimper’s boat sank. We had to replace some screens after Hermine and were surprised to find they were all still intact after Matthew.

      Like

  11. Good news, friend, to hear that you survived, are getting back to normal and can blog about it. I lived through one hurricane and too many tornadoes to count, but they are never the same and each one puts the fear in you. 🙂 Take care of yourselves, here’s hoping the recovery goes well, and prayers to everyone that were in the path.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. So glad all is well with you and your home. I hear John Crowell is driving home from CA to check out the dock and repairs at their place. It could have been so much worse and I know y’all are relieved.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Yikes! I didn’t realize you were right in the path of that hurricane! I’m so glad your home was spared and hope that your area recovers quickly. That must be so scary and heartbreaking to experience and see afterwards.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. Beth, so very glad to read that you and family were safe during this storm. Also, that your home was fine. Howard and I, when living in Louisiana, went through many hurricanes. I understand what you experienced. We can’t begin to say enough about the people that work during these times and the ones that volunteer afterwards. Hugs to you!!!!💜

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Wow, I also didn’t realize you were in the path. What a great update, with the positive stories of others helping! That’s what this country is about! We do care about our neighbors.
    So glad you’re ok and sure hope everyone who was affected gets the relief they need to rebuild/repair!

    Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.