When Irma hit us, it had been down-graded to a tropical depression. The forecast called for several inches of rain and sustained winds of 15 to 20 mph with gusts reaching 55 miles per hour. We live about 5 hours from the South Carolina coast and about 9 hours from Tampa, Florida, and there was wind damage in our area.The following pix show the aftermath for us. All of this came from one oak tree. The last picture shows how "de-limbed" it is now.

First my DIL and two grandchildren came armed with a chain saw, muscle, and youth. My DIL wielded that chain saw like a pro. The children, Bella, 15, and Levi, our youngest grandson, dragged smaller limbs and transported the heavy branches. They worked so hard. Ben, our older son, took time off from his job to come and help. Our neighbor across the street brought his chain saw, and his wife helped to throw the mess into the ditch in front of the house. Mike had our chain saw. The whole mess was cleaned up and stacked in the ditch in about 3 1/2 hours awaiting the city to pick it up. We may have to wait a while, but that's okay. This is how the pile looked after being cut into manageable pieces.

We didn't know that the family was coming. Mike and I were just waiting for the rain to stop before we went out to work on it. His chain saw is a small electric one and I was afraid he would be electrocuted. We are so appreciative for all their help.

Another neighbor wasn't as lucky as we were. A tree in her yard uprooted and hit her house. There was some damage. It just hit the corner.

I feel so fortunate after seeing the damage in Texas and Florida. I can't imagine what those people who tried riding out the storms went through. Those 55 mph winds we experienced were scary. I just can't imagine what 150 mph winds must feel.

(Click on individual photos to enlarge.)