Tuesday, September 27
I haven't posted anything in a few days as we've been dealing with Hurricane Rita and her aftermath. We - and our family and friends - were blessed to have been spared any significant damage, either to home or health. My good friend, Tara, emailed today to check on us, and again I am touched by such concern. She said she had checked here but not found anything new, so I suppose it's time to take a few moments and tell those not here what's going on with us.
Our house was okay in the storm, though a house a few down from us currently has a tree through the roof as does one around the block. We were remarkably fortunate to not lose power during the storm, and that's quite a blessing given that there are people here in town who still do not have power. With the temps here hovering between 98 and 101 in the afternoons, it's a really horrid time to not have power or air conditioning.
We live in a twin city situation on either side of a river, and our sister city didn't have adequate water until today. Yesterday, in fact, a giant water hose was stretched across the big bridge across the river moving water from our town to the other.
Griff's been out of school since last Friday, and he's out again tomorrow. Several of the schools are being used as shelters, and we can't very well kick those folks out and ask them to live in their cars. But it means I'm burning through my vacation days. And I'm one of the fortunate ones who has vacation days to burn through.
There's not a gas station in town with gasoline, and the store shelves are bare. So much of our suppplies come from either New Orleans or the Lake Charles area, and both are out of commission. Traffic is incredible in town with all of the evacuees, both those now living here in shelters and those passing through here to get back home.
Our church opened as a shelter last Friday for those evacuating from Rita, and Mike worked at the shelter each day through the weekend and on Monday. I am so very proud of him. I appreciate, too, that when they ended up with extra workers the night he was to stay the night, he came home to be with us since I'm a storm scaredy cat. We could have all piled into the Goodnight home, but I did want safe shelter, I wanted my safe shelter. And that's Mike.
In the end, we have been fortunate to have not been anything more than inconvenienced. My prayers are with those in Lake Charles and Abbeville and those surrounding areas that have lost so much... with those from New Orleans who have endured their second storm in a month. God is still in this little state... I see it in the people helping one another, despite their own discomfort or lack of 'normal.' And for me, that's the way I want to see the face of God... reflected in the faces that face me.
[ posted by Chel on Tuesday, September 27, 2005 ]
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