Well today was rather exciting. Following a day of intense wind and rain, Sunday brought not only daylight savings but also loud noises and frayed nerves. The rain finally passed but the wind kicked it up a notch. And our neighborhood became a hubbub of activity.The wind had been ripping wildly around the house the last 24 hours. But this morning around 10:00, with half a bagel in my mouth, I heard a crashing noise so loud I thought the sky was falling. Right across the street, a 200-ton crane had fallen. And it took a few houses along for the ride.
Here's an excerpt from the local news:
"A crane that had been doing construction for Maine Medical Center during the week toppled over around 10:00 this morning, smashing into 3 houses. One was vacant. No one was hurt, but 13 people have had to find temporary housing.
Maine Medical Center CEO Vince Conti said Berry construction had felt confident the crane could withstand the high winds before the storm. A lot of people who live in the area, though, said they had wondered about the crane Saturday, as it weaved in the wind.
Colleen Mowatt saw the crane fall. She said a big wrecking ball attached to the crane came down first, then came the crane itself. Mowatt said, "Our car was right there and we saw the ball fall down and we stopped the car and we were on the way to the emergency room... And the ball just fell and then the crane fell and I was just like, I think I'm in shock." ©2006 WCSH6.com
I did manage to get some photos. Chomping down the rest of my bagel, I rushed on yesterday's clothes and ran downstairs.
You can start to see the crane, just to the left of the fire truck. When I first got outside, there must have been ten fire trucks jamming an already small intersection. But they disbanded pretty quick when they realized no one was hurt.
Again, this is just a few houses from where we live.
Standing in the same spot, if I pivot to the right, there's our house.
Lucky fall, that one.
The news crews are arriving now. Mind you, it was still incredibly windy at this point. A camera guy was knocked over by the wind. People kept losing their hats.
"There was this loud crash.."
Crunch. That's a bedroom it tore through on the house on the right.
These pictures don't do it justice.
Like the article said, a woman was driving up to the hospital when this thing landed right in front of her car. Uh, damn. So, how was your Sunday?
There's another good image at Yahoo. (click here)
UPDATE: Favor has posted some really good shots too. (click here)
