Summer thunderstorm wreaks havoc

Based on the damage and just the general look of the areas, it appears that it went through Barracks, Venable, Rose Hill, N. Downtown, and Martha Jefferson Neighborhoods.

I'm sincere here...

Way to go, people of Charlottesville!
There is hope!
No one was killed standing outside,
watching a big storm pass over.

But, then again, Sugarland wasn't playing.

Wasn't expecting this storm to be as strong as it was. All of a sudden there was hail, and then the wind started going sideways for a prolonged and intense period of time, not just a gust. When that happened it was a little spooky. Luckily no damage on our end of town, just a lot of smaller level debris.

Charlottesville doesn't know what damge from a storm is.........

All those trees you all love so much are the reason for the havoc. A well run town would have an ordinance requiring property owners to remove or top trees at risk of toppling in high winds, but instead they have a nuisance ordinance requiring people to keep their grass cut...
Old neighborhoods are full of overgrown Oaks of scary dimensions. Last year's June storm in the same area devastated certain areas in the Rugby/Greenleaf area, but by luck nobody got hurt despite several dozen houses badly damaged or destroyed and large numbers of cars destroyed, all from falling of hundreds of these immense trees. A town needs trees to make an attractive environment, but those trees shouldn't be allowed to reach the size they have in certain older areas of town. The present system where we all just wait for them to fall over just doesn't seem to make sense. I won't allow anything to exceed 30 feet in height on the properties I control ( I use this term because nobody really "owns" property; we just control it for awhile) and it's been a pain to get it done. I do allow woods I own to go feral since nothing is out there, but nothing gets big enough to hit buildings or vehicles. I know that this idea just seems odd to people, that property owners should have liability for growth of vegetation on their property, but it only seems odd because of tradition. It would of course be a huge expense to the often over-leveraged C'ville resident to have to pay to take down some of those monsters, but only because by default they were ignored and left to grow huge. If you got a house on a cleared lot, cutting trees back as they grow would be a simple annual landscaping chore.

@ Harry D

I agree, this town doesn't. But, that's a good thing I suppose. I'm really hoping we don't ever become another Tuscaloosa or Joplin.

@ eeli

It's called a "troll."

You must be a newbie to internet comments sections, otherwise you'd recognize it for what it is and not even bother to respond to it.

Who's that tripping over my bridge?

Be off with you! I'll gobble you up!