It was 2 years ago today that Hampton Roads, Virginia got slammed by Hurricane Irene. It was the hardest we’ve been hit by a Hurricane since Hurricane Isabel in 2003. If you were here, you’ll remember that Sandbridge in Virginia Beach suffered several tornadoes that were spawned by the storm and Newport News had major damage to an apartment complex due to falling trees. Many low lying areas were flooded and 1.2 million homes and businesses lost power. Three people in Virginia were killed due to the storm
Most of the major damage caused by the last several hurricanes have been from trees hitting roofs: tearing shingles, crushing plywood and rafters, and piercing straight through homes leaving the owners with the need for major water remediation, restoration and remodeling.
The most damage that we have suffered in the last 20 years, here in Hampton Roads Virginia was from Hurricane Irene. Again the trees were a major factor. The earlier part of the year we experienced much higher than normal rainfall that left the ground very soft. This resulted in many trees being pushed over by Isabel’s high winds and many of these trees caused major damage to homes. I personally remember responding to calls and being able to stand in the front yard, looking right through the house that had been cut in two by a falling pine tree, and seeing the back yard.
This year, many of the contractors and remodelers in Yorktown and Newport News Virginia have been talking about how heavy the rains have been and that they have been very reminiscent of the kind the Hampton Roads Area experienced in 2003 . Hopefully, if this Hurricane Season proves to be an active one, we won’t experience the same type of damage that we saw in 2003.
Looking back to 2011, I thought I’d share a video or two of Shawn and I tarping roofs in Hampton, Yorktown and Williamsburg that had suffered damage from the storm. Not really oscar worthy stuff here, but a walk down memory lane all the same!
