A Wind in Eden

Two weeks ago this is how our crepe myrtle lining the driveway appeared.
No leaves remain now.

We had some wind here Wednesday night, the strongest wind I can remember. At Henninger Flats, an area above our city, the wind was clocked at 167 mph.
It roared around our house, leaving us with no electricity sometime after midnight. Our house alarm and smoke detector began making beeping noises, which woke me. The street lights were on, but our house electricity was definitely dead. We each picked up a flashlight and went downstairs to sleep, away from the beeping/clicking noises.
The poor cat was as skittish as can be and found a corner somewhere in which to hide.
In the morning we awoke to quite a sight, as if a crazed giant had raced up and down our street, indiscriminately snatching trees and throwing them down. Trash cans were down and scattered, their contents strewn about. An amazing sight to see. Our street was the sister of streets throughout our town, all 26 square miles of it. Everywhere one drove, the scene was repeated.
A couple whom I knew through the Neighborhood Watch email list, had a fallen tree across their driveway. The husband came out to use the car, and your Dad (who had moseyed down the street a bit) suggested he use our Saab. This neighbor is an attorney who had a pre-trial meeting with a judge. He was surprised at your Dad's generous offer even though we had not actually met, and took him up on it.
The electricity in our home was finally restored about 4pm, but the signal lights at many intersections are still not working. Time to get from one place to another is much longer because of the trees still down on some streets. I'm just soooo grateful for our restored electricity, and the faithful city workers, firemen, tree cutters, electric, gas and water and others, who are working hard to restore our city.
These photographs are from our street, and the small circular street joining ours.