GoldenAcres
08-01-2009, 10:59 AM
Well last night we experienced our first and hopefully our only hurricane here in central New Mexico. Okay it wasn't really but it sure seemed like it. It was sunny with a few scattered gray clouds but around 4:30 in the afternoon we could smell rain and the wind started to pick up. Living on a meas this is nothing new and to be expected. If it's raining three miles away in town we rarely get any of it and visa versa.
We were getting ready to go to town when a gust of wind hit the house and then we heard what sounded like hail but was only giant rain drops again nothing new. After a few minutes it got really bad, the wind and rain came down just like a hurricane basically a white out for fifteen minutes :eek:. My brother had to run out and close car windows that's when he saw the front tires lifting off the ground a few inches. At that point the rain started pouring in through closed windows leaving puddles on the floors. After the wind passed it continued to rain hard for another fifteen minutes give us 7 inches of rain total. Both ditches on the road filled and then emptied into our yard and several cars were forced off the main road, thankfully no serious injuries just banged up cars.
We faired this storm just fine, a few missing shingles on the roof. The garden looks like a giant stepped on it and the pumpkin vines were twisted and flipped around but everything is intacted so with some love it should be okay. Our neighbor did not fair as well. They weren't home when this happened, some windows were open so the floors are a little wet and they were in the process of building a two car garage which is now a big pile of sticks. I have posted pictures in my picture album.
We are grateful that nothing more serious happened and are using this as a learning lesson. Two things are going to change next year, first a water collection system and second better wind protection around the garden.
We were getting ready to go to town when a gust of wind hit the house and then we heard what sounded like hail but was only giant rain drops again nothing new. After a few minutes it got really bad, the wind and rain came down just like a hurricane basically a white out for fifteen minutes :eek:. My brother had to run out and close car windows that's when he saw the front tires lifting off the ground a few inches. At that point the rain started pouring in through closed windows leaving puddles on the floors. After the wind passed it continued to rain hard for another fifteen minutes give us 7 inches of rain total. Both ditches on the road filled and then emptied into our yard and several cars were forced off the main road, thankfully no serious injuries just banged up cars.
We faired this storm just fine, a few missing shingles on the roof. The garden looks like a giant stepped on it and the pumpkin vines were twisted and flipped around but everything is intacted so with some love it should be okay. Our neighbor did not fair as well. They weren't home when this happened, some windows were open so the floors are a little wet and they were in the process of building a two car garage which is now a big pile of sticks. I have posted pictures in my picture album.
We are grateful that nothing more serious happened and are using this as a learning lesson. Two things are going to change next year, first a water collection system and second better wind protection around the garden.