"bob haller" wrote in message
...
Remove the closest trees that can endanger the home.

Actually, the very closest trees are probably not as dangerous as ones that
are far enough away to allow the tree to fall over and gain a lot of
momentum. The close trees are likely to slide against the house and do less
damage than the ones that fall over from far enough away to swing like a
hammer. All the serious hits I recall seeing were from trees set some
distance from the foundation

We had a tornado 5 blocks away a while back and it scattered an entire park
full of tall 2' foot wide oaks like pickup sticks. If you are in the direct
path of a tornado, no amount of bracing is going to help a typical
residential structure. I rode around after the storm and took pictures and
one was of a poor guy standing in front of his split-level home that was
split in half by a massive oak tree that had been almost 50' away from the
house. The tree was tall enough so that the top of the trunk cut the house
like buzzsaw. He had this "stunned mullet" look on his face that officers
used to get after being chewed out by Gen. Schwartzkopf

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontl.../waller/1.html

For safetys sake build a safe room somewhere in your home, or
underground but nearby.

Yes! These events *usually* have some forewarning, and if you're really
concerned you can get a weather radio that will sound an alert to give you
time to reach a shelter.

http://www.tornadoproject.com/safety/safety.htm

http://www.tornadoproject.com/safety/noaawxra.htm

Think steel and concrete reinforced storm shelter. near center of home
is probably the most safe, make it big enough for emergency supplies
like food and water
this room could be useful for all sorts of disasters.....

I've always believed in having at least a "retreat" room if not a safe room.
I've yet to be able to convince my wife that we should dig an escape tunnel
from the basement to the park behind us. Lots of animals have dens with
emergency escape tunnels. If' it's good enough for a fox, it's OK with me.
(-:

my neighbor had lots of beautful trees, first he removed the closest
ones that if they fell could hit his home. he wasnt satisfied and
removed all the trees

Elderly people get funny like that. I think the realization of one's
mortality makes them want to stack all the odds in their favor. For
instance, I've read that a lot more people take cholesterol meds than are
really helped by them because, as Rutger Hauer's character said in _Blade
Runner_ ,"I want more life, fu&er." Everybody wants to beat the Reaper.
Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.

he is elderly, and wanted to protect his home.

The elderly often develop very severe agoraphobia (fear of going outside)
because they view the world as ever more threatening. It's very sad.

He fell over a year ago in his driveway and broke his hip he has
been in a nursing home ever since.

I have a good friend who's now in rehab after falling, breaking his wrist
and lying four days on the floor waiting for someone to find him. We got
him cell phones, phone dialer pendants, all that stuff before the fall - but
he just refused to use them. His reasoning was that he didn't want to dial
911 and have the fireman break down his door with an axe. I think it's a
little bit of dementia creeping in.

His family had the home cleaned out, and its being sold......
they would of got more for the home before all those beautiful trees
were cut down.

Let's just hope the tree slaughter bought him at least some piece of mind.
We've lost four beautiful trees in the last few years and it really does
change the entire character of the home - and the value, too.

--
Bobby G.