Chattering-Magpie-blog
After the hurricane.
We visited my old hometown on the coast last weekend. Technically it was not a hurricane, but the coast was battered by hurricane-force winds. “Worse than the Columbus Day Storm," everyone said. That confluence of three Pacific storms in 1962 hit inland harder than it hit the coast. It remains the touchstone for storms in our part of the country.
A lot of blow down had already been cleared on Hwy 26 coming into Seaside. Trees with root systems 8-10 ft in diameter were lying uprooted by the side of the road. I expected more houses and outbuildings to be crushed by trees, but luck was on many peoples’ sides that day.
On the family farm the little barn was flattened. I don’t know how old it was. I’m wild guessing 80-100 years, certainly not more, probably less. We hadn’t used it for several years and I doubt we will rebuild it. The big barn took some damage on one end, but remains standing.
All I heard was how the people of the coast banded together, helping one another clear trees and debris, checking on one another to offer help. Restaurants cooked up as much of their food as they could save and fed the people for free.
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