Be careful what you wish for. . .

[Cudedog]

Oh yes. "Be careful what you wish for. . . you may get it." Words of wisdom I should have remembered when I was wishing for rain.

The storm finally blew in about 7:00 p.m. Lots of extremely high wind - I could hear it moaning and groaning outside, even with the tv on. I'm hoping I didn't lose any asphalt shingles off my roof - I'll need to look around later. Have lost roofing bits to high winds here in the past.

Lots of wind, minimal rain (the ground is barely wet). . .

Fell asleep on the couch, when I woke up about 5:00 a.m. to let Joe out he just stood at the back door and didn't go out into the yard. Sometimes he will do this (I don't think he likes to get his feet muddy) so I put my shoes on to go out with him (he will go out if I go with him, silly boy).

It was still very dark, of course, and I was surprised to see a really big white square appearing to be leaning up against my side fence - from where I stood it looked to be about eight feet tall and ten feet long. . . What the he..?? Then I realized that it was my neighbor's utility trailer that they keep in their back yard. . . I'm still trying to figure out what the heck I am looking at (how is it that I can see their trailer though the wooden fence? Why is the fence suddenly invisible?) when I finally realize the fence must be down (it's dark and I'm still half asleep).

Called Joe back to me, went inside and got my flashlight. Yep. Almost the entire wooden fence between my place and the neighbor's place is flat on the ground - maybe seventy-five feet of fence (or more).

I guess I'll call my insurance adjuster later this morning and see if I am covered. Good thing I am on good terms with the neighbor (I didn't see any lights on at the neighbor's house, so they probably don't know about the fence yet). What a major pain.

Absolutely the last thing I want to do during the pandemic with the new, more contagious variant getting loose, is to deal with my insurance company, get repair estimates, and find a fence builder (I'm sure I am not the only one with their fence down after the winds we had last night, so a repair person might be hard to find).

I'm going to go online to see if I can find some temporary fencing (welded stock panels that one can just stand up and fasten to a metal t-post) for the time being. I can put up this kind of fencing by myself with the help of my handy-dandy fence post pounder.

I'm thinking, what with probably everyone and their brother having a blown-down fence at the moment, making fence repair people hard to find, and with the pandemic raging, this probably won't get repaired/replaced anytime soon.

Hoping I can get the fencing I need delivered - it comes in sixteen-foot panels, and I have no way to transport it.

Wish me luck.

Will post some photos when the sun comes up.

LOL. It never rains, but it pours. If you know what I mean.

Anne

[Shirlv]

Bummer Anne, you only wished for rain not wind. Would Joe wander away without the fence?

[Cudedog]

Bummer Anne, you only wished for rain not wind. Would Joe wander away without the fence?

Thanks, Shirl.

Joe would definitely wander away (wouldn't want to chance it anyway), and he would also very much like to explore the neighbor's back yard, which would be a bad idea. My neighbor has a toddler and an infant, and a playground of sorts in their back yard. I am very sure they would not want Joe back there. I would not, were the situation reversed.

LOL - At the moment, Joe is probably larger than both kids - although I am sure he would be friendly, I am put in mind of the lines from the famous Robert Frost poem: "Good fences make good neighbors".

Been looking at temp fencing panels online. Looks like I can have some delivered (for a cost, of course) but need to have a chat with the neighbors (and the insurance adjuster) in order to decide what to do.

Thankfully, Joe does well on a leash - looks like he will be leashed for "poop patrol" for the time being.

Anne

[BarbaraRose]

The other night we had the same thing. Super high winds and just a few drops of rain. Sounded like a hurricane out there. Luckily, I didn't see any damage from it.

I called my insurance guy yesterday about my floors and he told me too, that because of all the storm damage that it could be awhile before I can get anything done, so to be patient.

[Cudedog]

Bummer Anne, you only wished for rain not wind. Would Joe wander away without the fence?

LOL, Shirl.

I think maybe I wasn't specific enough. I wished for rain, yes. . . but I was also wishing for a "big storm".

Certainly got that - in spades!!

Like Barbie, though - sounded very much like a hurricane outside - and also very light in the rainfall department, even though "rain - heavy at times" had been predicted.

Anne

[Bethers]

Oh, sorry Anne. Can we hope that some of the downed fencing might be at least temporarily usable if stood back up? And and upside, as much as you say Joe would leave the yard, that smart boy wouldn't even go outside at first with the damage.

[Cudedog]

Oh, sorry Anne. Can we hope that some of the downed fencing might be at least temporarily usable if stood back up? And and upside, as much as you say Joe would leave the yard, that smart boy wouldn't even go outside at first with the damage.

Good suggestion, Beth. Thanks.

Probably the fence "slats" are reusable, but all of the supporting fence posts snapped off at ground level (I'll post some photos in a little while) and the cross pieces, both top and bottom (the boards that the slats are nailed to) are twisted and shattered.

As for standing it back up for temporary - I had considered this, but feel it would just be too dangerous. The fence is all wood, is about six feet tall, very heavy, and very wet and with still more wind in the forecast and with nothing to support the fence to keep it upright, nor to tie it to the ground, the fencing would act like a sail - it would either fly up into the air, or just fall over again (dangerous to small children and dogs - adults too, really).

In any case, it would take a crew to push it back up, even for temps. I know I couldn't do it, probably even my neighbor and I together couldn't do it.

Although down, it is still attached to the cross-fencing at one end. Without this attachment, I think this entire section of fence might have flown up into the air (the wind was blowing that hard) and my neighbor and I are both lucky it didn't smash into my neighbor's house, or maybe through their sliding glass door.

Adding to that, if the fencing is covered by my Homeowner's insurance (of course have no idea where my policy might be at the moment, do have a call in) it would be better for any insurance adjuster that comes out to be able to see the fence in it's fully smashed-and-damaged, flat-on-the-ground, condition.

I think.

Anne

[Acadianmom]

Anne, sorry about your fence. Hopefully your insurance will cover it. My son's girlfriend's insurance covered the removal of the tree that broke from the last hurricane.

You are stronger than I am if you can move one of the stock fence panels. There are some here and tried to move one. Gave that idea up. Harold had a big round pen and the hurricane took down part of that fence. I have wanted to fence the back yard for Sugar. It's not going to be easy to fence the back yard because the fence would have to go up and down the hill. What ever I put up will have to be strong enough to withstand what ever the next hurricane blows in. We have had the big round hay bales float in.

Martha

[Cudedog]

You are stronger than I am if you can move one of the stock fence panels. There are some here and tried to move one. Gave that idea up. Harold had a big round pen and the hurricane took down part of that fence. I have wanted to fence the back yard for Sugar. It's not going to be easy to fence the back yard because the fence would have to go up and down the hill.

The fencing panels are not the really big ones used for livestock, but welded wire panels like these:



https://www.lowes.com/pd/Tarter-Actual-4-166-ft-x-16-ft-10-Wire-Stock-Panel-10-Wire-Stock-Panel-Steel-Farm-Fence-Panel/3479813

I can't lift these either - too bulky, they are about sixteen feet long, but not particularly heavy. I can pull/drag them into place, tilt them up, and fasten them to t-posts with fence clips. This might be a quick and easy way to build a back yard for Sugar, especially if you could find someone to help you. If the "mesh" is so large as to let Sugar through, the "mesh" also comes in smaller sizes.

These are welded panels, no fence-stretching required, just stand them up. Top right in the photo below, one can see one of the panels attached to a couple of t-posts, to the right of the downed fence.

What ever I put up will have to be strong enough to withstand what ever the next hurricane blows in. We have had the big round hay bales float in.

Good lord. I know how big those round bales can be. I'll bet they could put a hole in your roof if they hit just right during a hurricane.

These panels are strong enough to withstand cattle or horses (and dogs) - but a hurricane might be a whole different matter!!

Anyway, here is a photo of my downed fence. About seventy-five feet of it. I called the insurance guy, the adjuster will get back to me in two or three days. (LOL - or "whenever").



Nothing is going to happen quickly, there is a lot of damage here, all over town. Martha, I am sure you know that story!!

It's going to be a pain walking my dog on leash to do his business - but, still and all, it could have been a lot worse. My neighbor on the other side has a massive (maybe 125 feet) aging pine tree. If that thing had come down it would have smashed my house, with me inside like a bug in a tin can.

Anne

[JudyJB]

OK, let's practice: "I would really like to have a half-inch of rain every other day for two weeks, with gentle winds at all times." Oops, probably should add, "And not so much rain that the Lake Oroville dam breaks."

And you probably ought to talk to your neighbor about the big pine tree.

I was thinking of you last night and was going to ask you today if you had had enough rain yet. Guess you did.

Judy

[Bethers]

Judy, you missed this line in her post:

Lots of wind, minimal rain (the ground is barely wet). . .

[snowball]

that is really too bad Anne ...quite the wind to take that down....
Martha would you have to fence in the whole yard ? or just part of it so Sugar would have a bigger area to play in but wouldn't have to go up hills
sheila

[OregonLuvr]

Oh my Anne. That is a lot of fence to replace. Sure hope your insurance will help you out. It is raining big time up here, or should I say "constantly" for the last few days. We need it so I am not complaining too much. Snow pack is very important and so far we are getting that right now. But if it warms up it will melt quickly.

[MandysMom]

Fences do go down over years of posts in ground. We have replaced all ours one side at a time. Lots of fences around the area will be down with thus series of storms . We had about an inch of rain yesterday over a 24 hour period and it's raining gently off and on. Hope your insurance helps. We ended up each time choosing not to bill insurance to avoid rate increase. A number of houses over in Sacramento, about 12 miles west of here were skewered by trees and will require major repairs. Wind not as bad here, but I'm still planning to get rid of some eucalyptus trees, which are messy and brittle.
Velda

[JudyJB]

How is the rain today? I am assuming that Lake Oroville is relatively low because of the recent drought, right? So, hopefully, you don't have to worry about that for a while.

Good luck with your insurance!