Here I am again, fellow Dopers! Got this computer hooked to a generator and thought I’d let you know how we made out here in Lower Alabama!
We rode out the storm in a two-story cinderblock house just down the driveway from our mobile home. Let me tell you now that there is no amount of money that will persuade me to ever do that again! They say that we had gusts of up to 165 mph! We had only minimal damage to our home, though, believe it or not. One tree did fall on the roof, but it only damaged a small part of it, and let the rain in enough to soak our bed (which dried outside just fine). We also had some of the siding blow loose and got the carpet in the living room slightly wet. All this has been repaired enough to keep the weather out! My hubby’s shed lost it’s roof and we had red oaks and pines down all in our yard. Our carport was crushed, but we had moved the car over to the place that we stayed, so nothing happened to it. It was strange to see those oak trees completely uprooted, but my kids’ little swingset almost undisturbed! We have clean water, but no power yet. I have gas cooking, so the power outage has been no problem there! We do have generators and plenty of fuel, so we haven’t got a thing to complain about!
The town has lots of trees down and a good bit of property damage, but the stores have been able to open so that we can buy supplies. Walmart has even discounted all storm supplies. There are also distribution centers for ice, water, and MRE’s.
My husband and his brother own a fuelwood operation that supplies the local paper mills, so they have the equipement to clean up around here pretty efficiently, and they may be called on to help in the area.
Anyway, I hope all other Dopers in Ivan’s path have fared well, too!