Tornado Hits Small Maryland Town – Wipes Out Cherry Tree!
I was in graduate school, taking a business course towards my MBA. I was sitting in Baltimore, MD, almost two hours away from my home in a night class. I remember it well- it was economics, and I had just made some brilliant argument that the teacher couldn’t refute on some policy, and was feeling rather good about my scholastic achievements for the evening. I recall leaving the class, and calling my mother. My mother is the reliable type, the type that you can always reach because she’s always home (this is the great type). She would never be out at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. at night, because she was usually ready for bed by then. I called her, to ask her about something or let her know I was going to stay in Baltimore for the evening or something. And guess what- I couldn’t reach her! First thing I thought to myself was, fire! Oh no, the house has caught on fire and the phone burned up and mom is standing outside wondering what to do.
I have to admit, I panicked a bit. I had heard about the storms coming through our area, but didn’t think much of this. Thunder usually isn’t the culprit for devastating a home. So it really never occurred to me that something in the storm could have created a disaster in my own backyard! My solution was to call my neighbor next door. She answered immediately, and I told her I couldn’t reach my mother. She said that a TORNADO had come through the area and right through our backyard and had knocked down part of a tree! I was scared, because one of the trees in our yard is a beautiful cherry that gets white flowers in the spring and is the envy of many passersby. She allayed my fears when she said it was the big tree in the backyard. She said that over half of it had come down. She went and got my mother.
Now, understand that this was a big tree in our backyard. My next thought was that it had come down on the house, and we were in for some major problems. However, I found out from my mother that it had gone sideways, and landed in the yard and the yard next door. My mother was pretty upset. I knew I was going to have to drive home and figure out a way to deal with this. This was probably my big major step into the responsibility of adulthood and home ownership. I called the insurance company, and the tree company, before too many people had a chance. Due to this fast action, I was able to get a tree company out first thing in the morning to deal with the tree. Some people had trees in their yards for weeks because the tree companies got so backed up from this storm system in Hagerstown, MD.
At around 7 a.m., the tree people came and assessed the damage. The insurance company also gave the okay for payment on the homeowner’s policy to pay for the work. So, we had a decision to make. The tree, our big tree that had provided years of friendly shade, had almost split in half. It was a maple tree, and apparently tornadoes hit them hard. Some of the tree was still standing, and we decided to try and save it, even though it would look awkward and seem to be leaning to one side. They had to trim alot off the top so the tree wouldn’t fall over to the one side and onto the road below. I remember them saying that it would be a miracle if the tree lived.
A second tree had been hit as well. It was an apple tree, the small green sour kind you use for cooking. This tree was laying on its side, with the main root system out of the ground. We decided to have them put this tree back in the ground, and hold it up with stakes, and hope that it lived as well. I think the tree company probably thought we were insane, but both my mom and I place a great value on nature and trees. Those trees had the right to live if they could, and we believed in them!
So, off the tree people went, leaving us behind with a yard of devastation repaired to its best ability. And all we could do was wait, and hope that the trees lived. The next spring, the apple tree got leaves and a few flowers. The maple tree sprouted some new brances on the side that had been demolished. It was looking hopeful.
Then, guess what? Another storm hit the area. Another tornado went through our backyard and hit that same poor maple tree! Now we were left with about 25% of the tree still intact. But again, we hoped and wished for the best.
Now, a few years later, both trees (so far) are still alive. The apple tree blossoms fully and gets apples again. The maple tree has grown sturdy branches on the side that was destroyed, and two new root systems have gone up the tree to provide nourishment to this side. A victory for nature, and a miraculous site to see. Some good can come out of bad storms.
We now know that nothing is so sacred that it escapes nature’s wrath. It doesn’t matter where you live, or how much you do to protect it. Nature can come and rip and tear and leave you with nothing, when the day before you thought you had built on a solid rock. This all was a hard lesson to be learned, but very valuable and true to form.
