"Orkanböen"

I learned a new German word today, as the world was crashing down around me - literally.

Orkanböen are hurricane- (or gale-) force wind gusts. And that's what brought down hundreds of massive trees, causing wide-spread destruction in our area last night. A powerful storm with golf-ball sized hail and winds reaching 140 kilometers per hour ripped through North Rhine-Westfallen - and we were caught in the center of its path.

We were very lucky. During the height of the storm, water was pouring into my daughter's 2nd floor bedroom through the wall, and was seeping under doors on the ground floor - but this was minimal and caused no real damage. While tall trees toppled all around us, crushing cars and smashing into roofs and windows, those that fell on our property - both the current rental and the new house a few blocks away - managed to miss our houses and cars. At the new house, there was also water leaks and numerous roof tiles blown off - but the 45-foot pine uprooted outside my front door landed along side the house, taking off only a lamp and cracking a fence. Wow.

My neighbors were not all so lucky :(

We were out til 2am helping some access and secure their homes. One friend was stranded overnight in a train that couldn't move. Schools are closed for a few days, while they try to unblock the roads and ensure the stability of public buildings.

Who would ever expect this in central Europe? Unheard of.