Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Saga of the yellow house ~ UPDATED

The yellow house a block from me will have to be demolished.  It twisted on its foundation, and the floors now slant.  The stairs have pulled away from the walls on both sides, and nothing is stable.  So caution tape is all around the house.  The owner said they plan to save things from the structure, like crown molding, in order to use it in rebuilding.  This situation is sad, but joyful in that her daughter and a roommate went to the other (front) part of the house because of the dogs' barking and agitation and were not hit by the tree when it fell.

My photo doesn't do justice to the eerie feeling of being able to look through the house.  I took this wobbly shot after the town meeting last night, after the sun was behind Lookout Mountain.  My hand wasn't steady, but in the tiny cell phone window, I couldn't see the blurriness.  So, this is what I have for now.  I'll replace it, if I get over to the house before the rain starts this morning.

To see all I've posted about the tornado, click here or on the label "tornado" below.
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UPDATE:   Official-looking men were at the house today, so I didn't spend time setting up cell phone photos.  However, I wanted to show the front view.
We've lost 100-year-old trees all over the area.  Today, I drove through Forest Hills Cemetery after leaving the library.  Here's one damaged area, though I was happy to see that the graves of my maternal grandparents and my Aunt Bonnie were undisturbed.

2 comments:

Helen's Book Blog said...

Those poor people! What a total nightmare

Bonnie Jacobs said...

The good news is that it isn't their only house. The daughter and her friend were living (or staying?) in the house, but the mother/owner lives nearby. That's where the girls are now. I talked to the young women when I took photos on Thursday, the day after the storms:

http://bonniesbooks.blogspot.com/2011/04/house-hit-one-block-from-my-house.html

After Monday's town meeting, I spoke with the mother/owner, who was looking at the outside of the house with a friend. It's terrible, but not as bad as for those whose loved ones died and/or everything they had blew away in the storm.

You notice that I'm trying to keep this in perspective, though I feel the same way you do, Helen, that it's a total nightmare.