Saturday, August 30, 2008

Storm Damage

The Phoenix area has been on the receiving end of some major storms this week. One such storm hit late Thursday night. That one missed our area, but it hit the east Phoenix, Tempe, and the downtown area pretty hard. In fact, many historic homes--including one of my favorite mid-century era condo towers--sustained some very heavy damage.

But we got hit hard last night. Around 10:00, we got pounded with torrential downpours and very high winds. It was so terrible that I made everyone move downstairs until the storm passed. During which time, we were hastily throwing our patio cushions and chairs through the back door into the family room.

The extent of our damage was this wood slat that split and blew off our back gate. Our next door neighbor found the broken wood in his yard and leaned it against our fence.

Later, I discovered that a piece of aluminum flashing that holds a pipe vent to the roof had separated from the concrete tile. It was a scary experience for him, but Q was able to climb up there, pound the flashing down, and reattach it.
But we were among the lucky ones. All over the neighborhood the wind knocked trees out of the ground by the root. This one was taken at the Fry's parking lot down the street. Elsewhere in the same strip mall, a tree had fallen on a company truck for the pool supply store.

Quite a few homes in our neighborhood had major roof damage. The two houses pictured below have quite a few dislodged or missing roof tiles at the bottom edges. We noticed that most of the damaged roofs were constructed with barrel tile. Those of us with flat roof tile fared better.

4 comments:

Joanne Barragan said...

That sounds scary, Ms. Val! The storm would pass and leave your home in pretty bad condition. Good thing you only got a minor damage compared to your neighbors. And the most important thing was you and your family were safe.

Joanne Barragan

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I know it's late, but I feel so sorry for that! The picture of the fallen tree is really disturbing! Thank God it didn't hit your house. That could mean a major renovation, if that happens! Tsk,tsk,tsk! And I must agree with Joanne, you were lucky enough to have a minor damage than the others and that all of you were safe!

Karen Burgess

Unknown said...

A roof is a house's number one defense against the elements. With the weather being unpredictable, it's good practice to make sure that a roof is in good condition to handle torrential rains and heavy winds. That said, I hope storms that have come and gone hadn't done any significant damage to your home. -Nelson@Royal Roofing and Siding