IKE

WOW! I haven't lived through a hurricane with a direct hit on Galveston since Hurricane Alicia. That was back in 1983. So many hurricanes head this way and then they veer a different direction so we weren't even all that worried. All week we kept thinking it would keep heading east and anticipating the much ado about nothing, but that wasn't the case this go around. Friday morning we woke and realized we were in for the real deal and I got just a little panicky. The last time I have been to a store was Thursday morning at 6am. I filled up with gas and bought diapers and formula, etc. By the time I left the store the gas station lines were backed up through the grocery store parking lot. People were scared and rightly so. David came home from work about 1pm on Thursday and he hasn't been back. He got a call not to go in tomorrow (Monday) either. We don't know beyond that. Emily was out of school on Friday and won't resume until this coming Wednesday. This is craziness!

So, Friday night we boarded up, took down the trampoline, put fresh batteries in the battery-powered radio, squeezed both cars into the garage and got ready to "hunker down."



So then Friday night the clouds grew dark, the rain started, and the wind became really strong, our lights flickered a few times and then finally went out for good around midnight (Saturday morning). We put the kids in our room with us and David and I laid there listening to the radio until about 12:30. Then we all woke up (minus Kylie) about 2am and we decided, "what the heck" and gave the kids pudding cups at 3am. They were awake and the pudding was going to spoil anyway with no electricity. We moved some food to the chest freezer and when back to bed. At 5am the wind began to howl and the noises outside were horrendous and I could not sleep. It was so pitch black I couldn't see a thing outside and I was scared so I listened to the radio while everyone slept and waited. Around 7 everyone else woke up and by about 8 the rain had slowed enough that we ran outside to get a quick peek at the damages.

We lost a section of fence along our driveway

Another section of fence in the backyard. This picture is looking into our neighbors' back yard, her entire back fence is blown down so you are seeing in to the park behind her yard.


Our neighbors lost a tree which landed in our driveway (two reasons we are glad we got both cars in the garage) We also lost a small evergreen tree in the front yard, and lastly we lost some trim off the chimney which led to a great looking yellow spot on the upstairs ceiling. It's a small spot and under control now. Compared to many many people we were spared and we are grateful for that. Our power was turned back on last night around 8pm. I was so very very very very very grateful. The interesting thing is how spotty the electricity is recovering. We have friends two streets over (Scott and Ashley Jackson) that are still without power, then two streets over from them got power when we did. Go a couple more streets over and no power again. My parents' electricity keeps coming on for a few hours and then going off. It's been on for several hours now so hopefully it will stick. Well, the scattered electricity has led to TONS of visitors! So many people keep coming by to cool off for a while and I am happy to oblige. I hated the one day we were sweating! All of the visitors have been fun, but tiring. David's parents, sister and niece are staying with us for the next couple of days (from Baytown--they got hit a little harder and there hasn't been quite the power recovery out there yet.) And thanks Sally for loaning the queen-sized bed!

It has been great seeing how generous people are! We have seen so many neighbors lovingly helping each other and playing with kids so parents can work. We had several people playing with our kids and teenagers and men helping us move the trees, fence and remove boards. Our little neighborhood has become a real community over the last couple of days. And right now our street is completely lined with cars of friends and family spending the night with our neighbors--trying to stay cool, from the intense heat. Actually it has cooled down some, but it is still way too hot to go without a/c if you can help it.

Communication has been awful! Cell phones and even a lot of land lines don't work. David and I found a window where if we press our cell phones against it we can send a text or talk on speaker. It was funny--David was on the roof fixing the chimney and that's when his phone finally received his voicemails from the last two days, so he sat up there and listened to his voicemail and returned phone calls. Crazy?!

Ok here are some pictures around Sugar Land.

This mini waterfall is the dam that is just a few houses down from us and it normally holds the water way below it's top. I have never seen water go over it.

This tree is in our neighborhood and it lifted the sidewalk with it, but at least it was courteous enough to leave the speed limit sign.
This is our Church building with a generator sitting outside. All 62 area missionaries and Mission President have made this their home the last few days.
For locals, this is along Lexington near Settler's Way
This is our Church parking lot
And this is a 50+ foot tree in our green belt behind our house. The picture doesn't do it justice

This is us exiting our neighborhood We drove by our old house and that neighborhood fared much worse. This is looking along the street. Whole fences went down, roofs collapsed and a tree fell on top of a house. Our old house though made it through ok.

Overall we feel very blessed and we pray for those who are still without power, without homes and are still in need of help.