We had a huge storm up here last week. It hit late Tuesday, and lasated longer than you'd think. Our Hydro was out for 24 hours -- in some places we are told it is still out. There are Hydro crews here from all over Ontario, God Bless Them. We love those guys, the ones who go out in the worst of the weather, so that we can stay inside warm and dry. It's hard, and dangerous work, mucking about in thunderstorms with high voltage wires, and the crews work hard.
We were very lucky here at Bondi -- there was no tree damage to speak of. No doubt, we'll find limbs and trees down on some of our hiking trails. With 600 acres and a 20 km. network of trails, that is to be expected. Brian and David have been improving our system of generators, so our guests were not unduly inconvenienced for very long. Personally, I find if I can make coffee and the water is working, I can pretty much face anything...
But Dorset... Well Dorset got clobbered. The village made the front page of the Weekender. The damage extended all along the southern shore to Baysville, with Norway Point (Old Hwy 117) and Glenmount Road taking a big hit. That's where these photos were taken.
The Lake of Bays Director of Public Works, Tom Brown, estimates three weeks and $15,000 for the clean-up. Folks should have firewood enough to last them for several years.
While there was a lot of property damage to buildings and cars, there were no injuries reported, with one horrible exception. A hydro worker lost his life out there, for us.
It's a grim reminder of the power Nature holds, the unstoppable vagaries of climate, what weather can do. It's also a reminder that everyone should have an emergency kit available, to help them ride out the times like these when our 'modern' world suddenly reminds us of how we lived without electricity.
Be careful, be prepared. Be safe.
No comments:
Post a Comment