Dangerous weather has a huge impact on people’s property in the entire area affected. When a serious weather condition, like a hurricane, passes through an area, it can devastate the homes and businesses, causing severe damage.
One of the often-overlooked aspects of this kind of damage, however, is the dangerous condition that lingers after the storm has passed. Trees are down, staircases are weakened and left without railings, and structures are left strained by the forces of nature. Any of these conditions can lead to a serious injury if not repaired properly, and can lead to premises liability if reasonable care is not taken to prevent the injury, and Hurricane Hermine is no exception.
Hurricane Hermine Pummels the Southeast
Hurricane Hermine made landfall near the Florida panhandle on Friday, September 2, 2016, bringing with it winds of 60mph, a storm surge of nearly six feet, and over 22 inches of rain over the course of 72 hours. The devastation caused by the storm was impressive in an area that is renowned for hurricanes, but which had not suffered a direct hit since 2005. Trees were knocked down, buildings and cars damaged, and power was knocked out across huge swaths of Florida, including the capital city of Tallahassee.
Weakened after crossing Florida from the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic, Hermine still hit southeast Georgia hard, bringing sustained winds of 45mph to Savannah, which continued to knock over trees and cause extensive property damage.
The Dangerous Aftermath of Hurricanes
The extensive destruction that comes with hurricanes like Hermine can make for some dangerous conditions throughout the areas that are affected by the storm. When trees are uprooted, they often tear up other areas of the ground, causing nearby blacktop to split and upheave, or loosen soil to create new and unexpected sinkholes.
Unfortunately, property owners are often left unaware of the potentially dangerous situation, or overloaded by the damage to their property that they now have to fix. However, this can lead to dangerous aspects of someone’s property falling by the wayside and not getting the attention that it deserves, which could impact you if you are visiting and are unaware of the situation. Tripping, slipping, or falling can lead to serious injuries if you are not careful or do not see the danger in the situation.
Premises Liability Injuries Can Be Serious
Whenever you are on someone else’s property, they are expected to take reasonable care to upkeep that property in a way that keeps everyone else safe. Following a serious weather event like a hurricane, this becomes difficult, and can lead to dangerous conditions going unfixed, which can result in a serious injury to someone else on the land that does not know of the dangers there.
Contact Us Today
If you or someone that you love has been injured because of a premises liability issue on someone else’s property, contact the Cobb County personal injury attorneys at Williams Elleby Howard & Easter at 833-LEGALGA for experienced legal representation in the personal injury field.
