Hickman, Kentucky, Hurricane of 2008

I never expected, living in the center of the continental United States, that I'd have to fear hurricanes, but I do now! Yesterday, September 14, 2008, the remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through town, causing tremendous damage, mostly to the beautiful trees which were lush with wind-catching leaves. During the worst of it early in the morning I thought my windows would pop out, but they held. Shortly after the strongest winds abated I went for a walk around town to photograph the damage. These photos were taken within a mere quarter mile of my house! I have yet to see the rest of the town.

My neighbor's tree
My neighbor's tree lost one big chunk that blocked the only road leading to my neighborhood, trapping everyone here. This happened between the time I embarked on my walk and returned a half-hour later. As I was preparing to walk under the standing remains of the tree, my neighbor came out and I stopped to chat. Seconds later another huge chunk of his tree split off and collapsed right where I was preparing to walk! Had it not been for his coming outside, that would have landed right on top of me.

Road reopened
This is after my neighbor and I cleared the road with his chainsaw. His big dopey dog supervised and managed to be constantly in the way.