Tuesday of last week I was aware that there was a hurricane named Ike headed for the gulf. At that point the only thing I had heard on the Weather Channel was: "Once it gets into the Gulf, it's got to hit something." This prediction was not alarming because the Gulf Coast is expansive and the odds of it hitting me were slim.
So I left the house and went out into my community, where all hell was breaking loose. There were long lines at the gas stations, the grocery stores were over crowded and people were boarding up. Then I heard they cancelled school for the rest of the week. They even cancelled the Hummingbird Festival. All this and Ike wasn't even IN THE GULF yet.
By that evening Ike was in the Gulf and had left in his wake a path of destruction over Haiti, Cuba and part of Florida. All models had him heading straight for Rockport/Corpus Christi. I started having heart palpitations.
Wednesday morning Shane got my window's boarded and I went to the store to by a gallon of water for me and a gallon of water for my dog. I bought Twix bars and Dr. Peppers. I got some extra cat carriers from a friend. My friend Amanda found a kennel in Wimberly that would take 11 cats. I was ready to go, but decided not to leave until Thursday morning.
Thursday I wake up to find that in the night Ike had taken a turn and headed up the coast to Freeport/Galveston. I was safe, but now my mom and all my brothers were not.
Saturday I watched Ike crash into Galveston. It was terrible. And yet, in Rockport we didn't even get one drop of rain.
My mother and brothers fared well also. No one lost their home and power was restored in a matter of days instead of the weeks they had predicted.
In conclusion, I came to one very dramatic realization. I am no more prepared for a hurricane than the man in the moon. How can you truly prepare for something like that. How much money would you have to save to be able to take care of yourself in a crisis like Ike?
You can never fully prepare, that is why community is so important. My thanks to all the people who called me and offered shelter from the storm. Thanks to Shane and Addrian for boarding my windows. Thank you to Amanda for finding a kennel that will take 11 cats at a seriously reduced special evacuation rate.
Regardless, I still need to buy flood insurance and maybe a van for transporting cats.
1 comment:
I don't think anything can prepare you for a hurricane. My mom & dad left Galveston when Alicia hit (the 80s hurricane), and their home was demolished. I was in College Station and saw trees bending sideways in the wind! SCARY. My heart sank when I realized Galveston was being hit again! I'm glad you and your family were spared from major disaster!
You're right about community - sounds like you are in a good place right now (well, maybe you could be 30 miles away next to the nearest Starbucks, but ... nevermind about that!).
:)
Anita
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