VIDEO: Ugh! Tree gets both cars in Moville
By Tim Gallagher Journal staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, July 22, 2008
MOVILLE, Iowa -- Wes Smith grabbed a cup of coffee and looked from his front porch out onto Jackson Street, Monday morning in Moville.
"If it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all," Smith said with a chuckle.
Twenty yards in front of the home sat two Smith vehicles, both smashed when a 70-foot ash tree collapsed in high winds seven hours earlier.
Son Steven's 1988 Olds 88 was destroyed; son Matthew’s 1995 Dodge Neon sustained heavy damage.
"Steven dropped his car off at 12:15 in the morning and a friend took him to Sioux City," his father said. "Forty-five minutes later the car was destroyed."
At least the tree didn't fall on the house.
"At first, that's what I said," Smith commented. "Then again, the house would be covered by insurance. When a car is only worth $400, you don't carry much insurance on it."
Cliff Tomlinson, a neighbor, approached Smith and told him he heard the bang when the tree hit the cars. "I've never seen the wind that strong in 32 years here," said Tomlinson.
Three blocks north, Marie and Rich Muckey worked with their children to clear a tree from their front yard. The Muckeys wanted to leave for a vacation at 7 a.m. They'd have to wait until the limbs were cleared.
"We heard the wind last night and my ears began to pop," Rich Muckey said. "I've never had that happen before. But the pressure was pretty great."
Winds of 74 to 100 miles per hour were reported throughout the area in the storm. Those gusts topped trees near Muckey's home just north of the Woodbury County Fairgrounds. One branch landed on top of a rental car Marie parked in the driveway.
"I have a rental because I was in a car accident last week," she said.
When it rains, it pours.
Video
See video featuring storm damage in Moville, Iowa, at www.siouxcityjournal.com
"If it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all," Smith said with a chuckle.
Twenty yards in front of the home sat two Smith vehicles, both smashed when a 70-foot ash tree collapsed in high winds seven hours earlier.
Son Steven's 1988 Olds 88 was destroyed; son Matthew’s 1995 Dodge Neon sustained heavy damage.
"Steven dropped his car off at 12:15 in the morning and a friend took him to Sioux City," his father said. "Forty-five minutes later the car was destroyed."
At least the tree didn't fall on the house.
"At first, that's what I said," Smith commented. "Then again, the house would be covered by insurance. When a car is only worth $400, you don't carry much insurance on it."
Cliff Tomlinson, a neighbor, approached Smith and told him he heard the bang when the tree hit the cars. "I've never seen the wind that strong in 32 years here," said Tomlinson.
Three blocks north, Marie and Rich Muckey worked with their children to clear a tree from their front yard. The Muckeys wanted to leave for a vacation at 7 a.m. They'd have to wait until the limbs were cleared.
"We heard the wind last night and my ears began to pop," Rich Muckey said. "I've never had that happen before. But the pressure was pretty great."
Winds of 74 to 100 miles per hour were reported throughout the area in the storm. Those gusts topped trees near Muckey's home just north of the Woodbury County Fairgrounds. One branch landed on top of a rental car Marie parked in the driveway.
"I have a rental because I was in a car accident last week," she said.
When it rains, it pours.
Video
See video featuring storm damage in Moville, Iowa, at www.siouxcityjournal.com
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