This is a post I didn’t plan on writing!
To say it’s a windy day is an understatement. I heard the wind blowing during the night. The leaves and debris hitting the tin roof sound like rocks, and anything larger sounds like someone threw a coconut on the roof. The wind has only intensified as the day has gone on and wind gusts are literally roaring in the trees.
There is an enormous tree in the woods just outside our fence. It must be 100+ feet tall. We hired someone to cut it back last year and he never showed up but I didn’t worry too much. It’s been there for many decades so it certainly should last for a few more. Today I was minding my own business in the kitchen when suddenly I heard this huge noise and I knew immediately what it was – the TREE!
I dashed for the other side of the house just in case it hit the house. It didn’t but dust and debris were raining everywhere, the side yard is a mess, and I’m sure the fence will need major repairs. Neighbors came running from everywhere to see what had happened!
I am very very thankful! Yesterday I was raking and weeding in the side yard exactly where the tree fell. I don’t work over there on windy days just in case but still, if I had been there it could have been a very bad thing.
This is the wind map from WindyTV today, a few thousand feet up at mountain height.
The purple areas are 40+ mph winds, and the blue areas 60+ mph. As you can see, it’s worse in the mountains and in eastern Panama near the canal. How does this affect the ships, especially those with containers piled high?
We are very happy here but that doesn’t mean every day is all rainbows and unicorns. We are very thankful we have water today because there have been many afternoons with none. We are thankful that we have electricity and internet, unlike the first windy day when trees fell taking out many power lines. Living here teaches you that nothing is guaranteed, and to be thankful every day for what you have.
The Panama Adventure 
HI kris,
We are in Boca Chica now for a visit and the winds are unbelievable. Hopefully they won’t last to long!!!
BTW we were in David today and met with Marcos Kraemer. We really like him and feel very comfortable with him as our attorney. We appreciate your recommendation.
Susie
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I was down there Monday on just a regular windy day and it was bad enough. It must be crazy today! We were planning to go to the Jazz and Blues festival in Boquete so I hope things calm down soon, and down there for you too.
I’m so glad to hear you got along well with Marcos. 🙂
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Nice to know you and the house survived. Large trees are dangerous. Living in the Southeast U.S. with its tornadoes is nerve wracking many months of the year. So far we have had only minor damage over the last 20 years.
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We lived in Kansas for many years so I definitely understand the tornado thing. They are scary because they can come out of nowhere with very little time to react. Thankfully also we never had damage though I saw some impressive sights nearby.
There are SO many huge trees, many larger than the one that fell here. I’ll have to go check on some of my favorites.
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Been through Kansas many times. I know they get their share of tornadoes. I hate those night time tornadoes.
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The winds last night were very strong even today friday. We live near Ferreteria Ivan in Jardines de Boquete. No rain here and blue skies. Still a little bit less heavy wind. This afternoon we have been in Boquete and quite some rain. Back home blue skies.
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Friends just told me it’s like a monsoon with flooding in Boquete now, in addition to the very strong winds. We were planning to come up to the Jazz and Blues Festival this evening but changed our minds. I hope the rest of the weekend is better for the musicians and all the people who traveled to be at the event.
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Hola Kris,
and YIKES! Glad all y’all are OK. Soaking rains and high winds take their toll on big trees. You were right to try and get it topped but it is rare to see that kind of work being done there. Many times the workers will use machetes very effectively but not in the really tall trees.
Take a good look at the tree now that it is unbalanced. If the bulk of the tree is toward the house, try to get the landlord to help with getting it trimmed. The missing limb will invite bugs as well.
We have lived somewhere in Tornado Alley our whole time. A year after Nena arrived in the US, we were living in Illinois while I finished college. In a trailer. We watched a funnel pass over our house after the tornado had flattened part of the town and started to dissipate. Finished school, took a job in eastern Kansas. Got to watch 4 tornadoes pass by that town. Moved to Fort Worth, got to watch one pass through the center of the city in 2000. Nena began referring to me as, “Jonah”!?
And no, I was NOT near that tree!
🙂
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The remaining high limbs are away from the house so we should be OK.
Eastern KS? We lived in Manhattan for many years and saw some impressive storm damage, thankfully none at our house.
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Olathe for about 4 years. Back before the streets all got renumbered based on Kansas City street numbers. The 4 tornadoes we saw were all on the same day, moving west to east. The closest one went south just long enough to pass by Olathe then went north again just in time to destroy the local golf course. At least it spared all the homes but the golfers were really upset.
I don’t like tornadoes.
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Oh sure, I know where that is. I don’t like tornadoes either. They can come up without warning and flatten everything in their path.
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Extremely heavy winds here in Boqueron yesterday (Fri). Power flickered on and off all afternoon and then went out completely at a little after 6 p.m. and didn’t come back on until nearly 7 Sat. morning. Assume power lines down from falling tree limbs.
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I imagine with all that wind, they are repairing power lines all over the place.
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So glad you are safe! When Tomas and I lived on the Oregon Coast (prior to Morocco) we experienced high winds three seasons of the year. Fall was the calmest season. Wind certainly adds a dimension to one’s environment. Not everyone copes well with lots of wind. We are much further inland now and most of the time the air is quite still. Will you have help cleaning up your yard or is that your responsibility? All the best, alia
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Oregon coast? I just biked down the coast last spring and it was amazingly beautiful! It was windy a lot of the time though. We only have wind here in the summer and then not all the time.
The landlord never comes here, doesn’t want to bother us but he happened to be in town for summer vacation and surprised us with a visit yesterday morning. He’s going to take care of everything and cleanup is scheduled to start tomorrow morning.
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Blessed BE!
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A very strong man with a chain saw and machete arrived this morning, along with the landlord and his brother, and 5 hours later it’s all cleaned up! It would have taken my husband and I days and days to do the same thing.
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A very strong man with a chain saw is worth his weight in gold. Glad he showed up, timely. In Morocco we would say: “Hamdulillah!” This is my own translation intended with affection: “Praise be to God”! (with a happy dance.)
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Indeed! I’m preparing a post on that as we speak
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Look forward to reading it. Tomas and I once lived out in the country in Oregon where we got quite a bit of snow one winter. We both had jobs in town that required us to leave for work early. One morning we got to the end of our driveway only to find that a sizable Douglas Fir had fallen across it in the night. We did not get to work that day and we also needed the assistance of a strong man with a chainsaw on that occasion. Had a year’s supply of wood out of that inconvenience though, so that was the bright side of the event. And no one was hurt, as in your case.
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That’s one way to get a day off 😀 Glad yours turned out fine too.
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