Hi all... Thank you for your concern. DW and I are safe, 25 miles away from Woodhaven. Here in Peru, not much of a storm... a few minutes of rain and some thunder.
As far as Woodhaven is concerned, my information at this time is the same as yours. My guess is that the roads will be closed for days. 43 miles of roads.
Hopefully, just a part of the campground, although from the reports, my section 10 (out of 29 sections)... about 400 lots, is one of the worst hit.
TV news is a funny thing. Within the first few hours of the storm, all of the Chicago TV stations, mentioned this little campground, as as side note... choosing to look at the nearby towns... of from 50 to 500 homes. Gradually the reporters decided to check a little further... deciding that there may be more than 20 or 30 trailers or tents involved. They had trouble getting their heads around a campground that would have 43 miles of roads and 6100 separate lots.
Anyway... they've been talking about about 2500 sites being occupied during the storm. My guess is more like three to five hundred at most.
I expect there will be damage, and for many, big damage... as in total destruction of mobile homes and park models, along with add-a-rooms, sheds, vehicles and watercraft. Saw a picture of a fairly new Winnabago Class A, upside down. These are not easily repaired. With severe damage, most Park models will be totaled rather than repaired. New Park models cost from $28K to as much as $100K
In a final stage black oak forest, there are tens of thousands of 150 year old oaks. On my lot alone, there are 11 oaks, with trunks 7 to 18 inches in diameter. Early reports indicate they have only cleared about a mile of the roads so far. Vehicles are not yet able to get in far enough to investigate. A two foot length of oak can weigh 200 pounds, so heavy equipment is needed to clear.
I am not optimistic that I'll get away without damage. Being close to the lake, the full face of the camper is exposed to the direction of the force of the wind. A last year storm brought down a large limb of one of my trees, destroying a five piece outdoor dining table and chair set. Took me three hours just to cut the limb into pieces.
What might have helped limit injuries was the recent installation of a $150K warning system. This allowed campers to go to safety in one of the 17 large concrete block comfort stations. A saving grace is that our electricity is all underground. Most of the other Chicagoland cities affected by the storm have overhead lines, which may take days to repair.
One thing will come from this. Woodhaven is a mystery to many people even in the nearby towns. Certainly none of the TV reporters had a clue.
Will keep you updated. I don't think we'll be let in to see the storm result for a few days... At the very least, 5 inches of rain will make the mushrooms grow, and maybe drown a few moles, along the way.
A "before pic".... will follow up with an "after"... When and if it's still there.
Thanks again for your concern.
