The big wind that tore it all up

Not too long ago I blogged about the thunder storms on the Highveld. The storm rolling in on that blog had nothing on yesterday...

I was outside having a breath of fresh air (read: smoke) just after 9-30am when I saw a storm moving in at speed. I don't know if you've ever seen the sight of a massive wall of wind and water moving towards you across a wide open landscape? You'll be standing surrounded by a sublime stillness, watching this dull grey curtain proceeding toward you. Then it hits and for a few minutes all hell breaks loose!

The wind picked up to an intensity that must have been close to gale force. Rain lashed down from all directions in a whirling deluge of wind and water, so much so it was raining 'sideways'. I retreated to the comfort of the pack house.

Some twenty minutes later the intensity of the storm had disipated to a gentle shower. And then we recieved reports from 'the outside'. One of our sheds had lost a roof - fortunately the wind was so strong, it miraculously lifted it clear of the power lines before dumping it in pices some 30m and more away from the shed!

The greenhouses too were pummeled. Five of eight greenhouses took a knock, with three of them sustaining structural damage. We're still figuring out just how much still needs to be repaired. The obvious stuff like gutters and roof plastic is easier to account for and begin repairing, but the damage to electrical instalations is going to be a little more complex to sort out.

And then of course there's the damage to our crops. All that rain, directly onto the flowers is not so clever...

This is not quite the most positive ending to a tough week. Here's a few pictures to show you what I mean:

*SIGH*. It makes me feel quite down just looking at these again...