'I guess God's not through with us': Displaced homeowners thankful Decatur storm didn't occur at night

Jun. 17—Lynne Hughes was watching television and her husband Phillip was on his computer when an oak tree crashed through a back bedroom in their house along Hunterwood Drive Southeast during Saturday afternoon's fast-striking microburst storm.

The severe damage landed them in an area extended stay hotel for at least two months, Lynne said.

"It was pouring buckets of rain, and the rain was solid gray. The power blinked on and off a couple of times and then we heard the tree hit the house. It sounded like a bomb went off. I looked down the hallway and saw the sky. The rain was pouring in. If it hit the room my husband was in, we'd probably be planning a funeral."

The Hughes home was one of about 25 damaged by the storm, according to preliminary tabulations by the Morgan County Emergency Management Agency

Lynne Hughes said if the storm hit at night, it could have been drastically different for her and her husband.

"A big sheet of Sheetrock came down in our bedroom," Hughes said. "If it had happened when we were sleeping, we would have been decapitated. But I guess God's not through with us. We still have purpose in this life."

Instead, Hughes said, they lost "a lot of crafts and my husband lost most of his clothes, including all of his suits."

"We also lost a bedroom set. It's just stuff. Stuff can be replaced," she said. "Our family heirlooms were spared, and with them or without them, life still goes on. I'm glad we didn't lose them. What we've lost is small potatoes compare to what people lose in a tornado. We have many reasons to be grateful. We're thankful nobody was injured."

Hughes said they stayed with relatives for a couple of nights before the insurance company placed them in the extended stay suite. "We wanted a bath, a bite to eat and a bed to sleep in," she said. "I'm thankful it has a kitchenette. We've eaten out and have had takeout. But I know we will get tired of that in less than a week."

Hughes, retired, said she will be spending most of her days watching craft videos, creating art journals and assemblages as well as painting with water colors, while her husband continues to work. It will be the new norm for the couple, she said, but it's frustrating at the same time.

"It's a waiting game now," she said. "We need for the engineer to meet with the adjuster to inspect every inch of the house. We're letting the contractor handle all of that. We still don't know all of the structural damage. We're waiting on an estimate whether it can be repaired or it will have to be taken down." — Quiet neighborhood

The storm severely damaged two bedrooms and a closet and caused damage to the floors and foundation.

Hughes said she misses working in her garden and yard.

"The grass in my flower bed was laying over from east to west because of the winds from the storm," she said.

"I had just put some plants in the ground. The wind took out our red bud trees."

She estimated the fallen oak tree is about 150 years old.

She said they have lived in their home for 15 years and enjoy the quiet neighborhood and friendly people there.

"The city came by Monday and said the house was unsafe for occupancy," she said. "In the past two years, we've replaced our ductwork and roof. You pay for insurance that you hope you never have to use." — Assessing city's damage

The city's community development department issued four other unsafe notices to homeowners in Southeast Decatur. Seven others were issued maintenance notices from the storm damage, according to city spokesperson Emily Long.

The City Council voted unanimously to declare a state of emergency for Decatur. City Attorney Herman Marks said state emergency management officials advised the city to make the declaration in case the damage cost estimates reach the level the city might qualify for Federal Emergency Management Agency funding.

On Wednesday, Morgan County EMA Director Brandy Davis said her office tabbed about 25 houses in the area as damaged or unsafe.

"We'll compare our numbers with the city, but I don't think the damage will reach the threshold for assistance from the Small Business Administration," Davis said. "Nobody we've talked to was uninsured, and that's a good thing."

She called the number of damaged homes fewer than the windstorm that hit Northwest and historic Decatur on April 3, 2018. That storm and its 75-mph straight line winds damaged or destroyed more than 100 homes and businesses, according to EMA and city records. Many of the homeowners were uninsured, officials said in 2018.

Decatur Utilities spokesperson Joe Holmes said the utility is still assessing the damage but all homes have had power since Sunday. At one point Saturday, about 1,700 DU customers were without power.

"Crews out there now are there shoring things up and doing routine maintenance," he said. "We're still waiting on final numbers to share with EMA."

Geoffrey Heidelberger, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Huntsville, estimated the wind speed of the microburst Saturday was between 50 mph and 60 mph "based on the damage we saw."

An EF-1 tornado has wind speed of about 100 mph, according to NWS data.

— mike.wetzel@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2442. Twitter @DD_Wetzel.