Thane's Damage

Flattened grass hut to the left and downed palms.

Debris removal.

Lots of big trees down and others with the tops ripped off.

We stayed an extra night when we heard that hurricane Thane (category 1) was headed toward Chennai. It actually hit land significantly south of Chennai, but not far enough south to be a danger to us. We had been scheduled to take the train right through that area on our way home. We cancelled our train tickets and stayed an extra night. We are very glad to have waited. We had heavy rain for two days, but the town was still lovely and picturesque. We took a cab home (Eight hours for $100) and drove through Thane’s damage. We saw downed trees, smashed huts and downed power lines for about 100 miles. The brick and mortar buildings were fine, with the notable exception of a car dealership that was quite beat up. The signs on all the billboards had blown off leaving only the iron structures behind. People were working on the trees with machetes. Clearly chainsaws had been used to clear the road – only 24 hours since the storm and the road was clear. We saw uniformed officers in the larger towns, directing traffic or just standing around (preventing looting?). I have never seen this level of damage over such a large area. Category 1 is the weakest hurricane. Michigan -- so far from a coast, looks like a safer place to be, ice and all.