Thursday: Ok, this is real. We should possibly stock up on bread, canned goods, water and batteries. Wal-Mart is insane - made worse only by a hungry Julianne and a bored Jacob. Starting to panic. Justin comes home early and helps prepare. We go to Justin's parents house for dinner with the family since Jim is home from the hospital.
Friday: Watching news CONSTANTLY! Finish getting last-minute items together. Freak out a little bit (freaking out a lot is just not my nature). Turn down the AC just in case the power goes out. Sit outside in lawn chairs and watch Ike roll in. Participate in the Hurricane derby (details, later). Watch more news and go to bed listening to the wind howling outside our house.
Saturday: Power goes out about 2:45 am. We sit straight up in bed. Hard to go back to sleep, Justin doesn't. Kids sleep through it all. (Hallelujah!) Wake up to a horrible amount of rain, wind and bits of house/trees/fence flying around outside. Realize that our front oak tree has fallen over. Pray that family is ok, not able to reach anyone's cell or house phone. Shuffle around in the humid dark of our house trying to keep everything "normal" for the kids. Make biscuits and eggs on the stove - thankful for gas appliances. Sit in the garage after wind dies down just to get fresh air and watch the rain. Have a pow-wow in neighbors garage where they have hooked their cable/TV up to the generator and are watching "Hurricane Ike, The Devastation". Realize that we were really lucky. Decide that the house is too humid to sleep there and head to my mom's in Sugarland. Almost to my mom's and we get the word that our power is back on. Turn around and drive 40 miles back home.
Sunday: Clean, run dishwasher, do laundry and take FULL advantage of electricity. Justin cleans up the yard and helps a few neighbors by mending fences, helping set up trees, etc. Go over to Justin's parents to help clean up yard (they still do not have power). Head home about 8:30 or so. Mandatory curfew is in effect so they will not let us back into our neighborhood unless we show ID. Feel like a 16 year olds because we have a curfew in the first place.
It will be a long time until this city returns to normal. Weeks, possibly months until everyone has power. It's still kind of surreal as you drive around and see fifty year old pine trees twisted and knocked to the ground, telephone poles pulled up and hanging over the road. Fences blown down like they were made out of toothpicks. We have all been helping out where we can, trying to erase the damages from Ike. Please pray for those without power and running water, those with damage to their homes, and those that will never be able to go home again.
The weird, greenish sky right before it got super windy:
Hurricane Derby: Sitting in a light-weight wagon with a giant golf umbrella waiting on big gust of wind that can only be produced by a HURRICANE!
Jacob flew all the way to the end of the street!
The electrical cord running from our house to our neighbor's generator:
Justin making lunch with is headlight (which came in VERY handy!):
Headed out in the rain:
3 comments:
Glad y'all are OK and have power. I tried to call but, well, you know how cell phone service is down there right now :). Take care! I love the Ike derby!
Amy Smith
Glad to hear/see you guys are all ok! Amazing that the kids slept through it all. Keep us posted if you need anything. (also, on a side note, if you know anyone who needs a young adult/family minister, let us know. Spencer's looking for a position and we'd love to be back in the area.)
I love the Hurrican Derby...that is awesome!! Justin's poncho is hilarious!! I'm glad you got a picture of that!
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