The continuing story of Ike...
The worse part of the storm wasn't the storm. We saw little damage. We were lucky. The hotel lost some siding. There were downed trees. We had no power so we were uncomfortably hot. We had little food supplies so we were hungry. My brother also had no power but he was ok. His apartment complex saw similar damage to our hotel.
We didn't stock up on gas before the storm, so we tried to conserve what little we had. We had bought water but little food before the storm. The room was so hot that we took turns sleeping so someone could always watch the door which we kept open for air.
Saturday night I heard that the Kroger a few miles away might be open in the morning with food. I told Tai who recommended that we be there at 6am. So a little before 6am Sunday am, Tai and I drove in the dark to find the Kroger. Unfortunately the store was closed but the gas station was open. We filled up the tank with gas and talked to some of the others about what they knew. We found out the Kroger would indeed open at noon with food. So we planned to come back at noon.
Before noon, Dad, Tai, and I drove to the Kroger in the hopes that there would be food. The line for gas stretched more than a mile and the parking lot for Kroger was full. We stood in line for over almost 2 hours to get inside the Kroger. They let 10 families in at a time. We bought soups and stews hoping that the generator at the hotel would work the next day. We bought canned chicken and mayo to make chicken salad. I bought 10 kiwis because I needed some fruit. Three hundred dollars later we left feeling very proud of ourselves. But once we got back to the hotel we were even more overjoyed to see the power back on. We were incredibly lucky to get our power back so quick. As I write this over a million people in the Houston area are still without power.
We charged up our phones, ate hot food, sat in a cool air conditioned room. I called my brother to see if he wanted to share in our food and cool air, but his side of the freeway also gained power so he was set.
The storm hadn't been the worse part. Sitting around in a hot, muggy room with no food was the worse part. I was scared that my Dad would need to go to the hospital. As a diabetic I was sure that he wasn't eating enough. Plus the heat and humidity effects his balance in a bad way. I felt so helpless and scared. Probably better planning would have helped but I was overconfident in the hotel's ability to keep us safe and comfortable. Those 2 days were dark and bleak for me. I don't feel have not suffered as much as those who lived in Galveston which is still under water. There are people waiting in line for gas, water and food today in Houston, less than a mile from where I sit. I am lucky. I can leave and go to my comfortable home. I do not have to wait and hope power gets restored quickly. I am comfortable.
I'm not asking you do anything here. If you live in a hurricane region, my heart goes out to you. I could not live with the possibility of doing this a couple times a year. If you have the basic necessities tonight, consider yourself very lucky. Hug your loved ones and enjoy your meal. You honestly deserve to feel this comfortable. I will never take my comfort for granted again. I am so lucky. And I hope you are too.
Showing posts with label Hurricane Ike. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hurricane Ike. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Ike Is So Going To Pwn Your Ass
The continuing story of Ike...
After we left Tom and Anne, I tried to go to sleep. It was about 1am and the storm was going to get worse til 3am. But Tai was to amped up to sleep. I drifted off while he tried to read by candle light.
Around 3 am I was awoken by a heavy rain hitting our window. I saw Tai putting on his shirt and shoes.
Moral of the story: Don't smoke outside in a hurricane.
After we left Tom and Anne, I tried to go to sleep. It was about 1am and the storm was going to get worse til 3am. But Tai was to amped up to sleep. I drifted off while he tried to read by candle light.
Around 3 am I was awoken by a heavy rain hitting our window. I saw Tai putting on his shirt and shoes.
Me: Where are you going?
Tai: Out for a smoke.
Me: Uh, there is a hurricane out there babe. Don't go. Smoke in here.
Tai: No I'll be right outside. It'll be fine.
Me: Sweetie, Ike is so going to pwn your ass it's not even funny.
Tai: No one is going to pwn me. I'll be fine.
Me: Alrighty then.
Tai was gone about a minute and a half before he ran back inside, drenched. Epic fail. It had been too windy to smoke outside so Tai moved down the hall to find some place more sheltered. He was fine til he heard this demonic laugh (presumably the wind rushing down the hall). That chased him back in to the room.Tai: Out for a smoke.
Me: Uh, there is a hurricane out there babe. Don't go. Smoke in here.
Tai: No I'll be right outside. It'll be fine.
Me: Sweetie, Ike is so going to pwn your ass it's not even funny.
Tai: No one is going to pwn me. I'll be fine.
Me: Alrighty then.
Moral of the story: Don't smoke outside in a hurricane.
A Circus of Clouds
Tai had never been in a hurricane before. Growing up in Southern California, there were no hurricanes. Plus his limited traveling never put him in the path of one. I had been in one hurricane before. When I was young one passed over Houston. We'd been here visiting my grandma. I don't remember it being a big deal. I do remember that the eye passed over us and I thought that was kind of cool. I later learned that's why we still had a house.
Honestly before Ike hit I was nervous. Who knew if we'd be ok? Have power? Have a roof? The hotel we are staying at didn't seem to nervous and was book solid before the hurricane hit so I figured that was good. Gulf coast evacuates were choosing this place, great! I had some doubts but I figured that if the hotel felt that it was unsafe it would recommend we leave.
Tai was excited. He viewed the hurricane as a one in a lifetime adventure and refused to be as nervous as I was. I wanted to hunker down and he wanted to stand in the middle of it.
Friday evening as the storm grew, Tai made friends with a couple on our floor. The guy told him that they planned to sit on the balcony to watch the storm roll in. Tai asked me if I wanted to sit with them and watch. I figured we could watch for a little while but soon it would be too uncomfortable to be outside.
At this point it wasn't really raining, but we'd lost power so I couldn't watch tv and see how Ike was effecting Galveston. We grabbed some drinks and our chairs to sit outside and watch the storm.
We talked to our neighbors (a couple in their 40's with 2 kids) who lived a few miles closer to Galveston than where we sat. Let's call them Anne and Tom. Anne and Tom were nervous about their house. They recently canceled their flood insurance so they were hoping not to come home to a flooded house. (It looks like their town did experience some flooding so I hope they were lucky). We talked about Houston since Tom was originally from the area. We talked about local restaurants and places to see. Tom asked us about DC while we explained we were from the Washington closer to Canada.
Anne and Tom pretty drunk by now. Apparently liquor is key to surviving a hurricane. I didn't know that. We did not buy beer or any alcohol before the storm although our new friends were ok with sharing until they discovered they ran out too.
Anne had a vivid imagination. She kept seeing "Ghost riders" in the sky. So we sang the song til we forgot the lyrics and discussed the songs meaning. We never did arrive to a conclusion. Anne also heard squawking. It was pretty windy now and everything was rattling and making some noise. But Anne was convinced that it was bunch of bats who were scared of the storm. She wanted to find out who was going to take care of the animals, the animals who were scared of the storm. They had a little beagle in their room and she was so scared for the little animals. Anne started shouting to the bats to flee, to seek shelter while Tom laughed at her, telling her they weren't bats; she was just hearing things. I began to wonder why I was still sitting with these folks.
Then the rain started but the wind was so strong the rain
(which was mist at this point) moved in bands. It didn't fall straight down but it moved sideways. The huge lights on the freeway were still working so we could see the wind pushing the rain sideways. Anne thought it looked like a "circus of clouds". Tai just loved that image so we said it several more times that night.
The power on our side of the freeway had gone out hours ago so we could only see what was going on with the large freeway lights and the light from the other side of the freeway. Watching the storm come in was an awesome experience. Yes the wind pelted us with rain and we moved so we could continue staying outside. Without AC our rooms were stuffy and uncomfortable. But the storm brought a cool wind which made outside preferable. The lightening lit up the night sky and we saw all sorts of colors-red, green and blue. It was beautiful until the wind shifted and rain intensified and we ran for safety to our rooms.
Honestly before Ike hit I was nervous. Who knew if we'd be ok? Have power? Have a roof? The hotel we are staying at didn't seem to nervous and was book solid before the hurricane hit so I figured that was good. Gulf coast evacuates were choosing this place, great! I had some doubts but I figured that if the hotel felt that it was unsafe it would recommend we leave.
Tai was excited. He viewed the hurricane as a one in a lifetime adventure and refused to be as nervous as I was. I wanted to hunker down and he wanted to stand in the middle of it.
Friday evening as the storm grew, Tai made friends with a couple on our floor. The guy told him that they planned to sit on the balcony to watch the storm roll in. Tai asked me if I wanted to sit with them and watch. I figured we could watch for a little while but soon it would be too uncomfortable to be outside.
At this point it wasn't really raining, but we'd lost power so I couldn't watch tv and see how Ike was effecting Galveston. We grabbed some drinks and our chairs to sit outside and watch the storm.
We talked to our neighbors (a couple in their 40's with 2 kids) who lived a few miles closer to Galveston than where we sat. Let's call them Anne and Tom. Anne and Tom were nervous about their house. They recently canceled their flood insurance so they were hoping not to come home to a flooded house. (It looks like their town did experience some flooding so I hope they were lucky). We talked about Houston since Tom was originally from the area. We talked about local restaurants and places to see. Tom asked us about DC while we explained we were from the Washington closer to Canada.
Anne and Tom pretty drunk by now. Apparently liquor is key to surviving a hurricane. I didn't know that. We did not buy beer or any alcohol before the storm although our new friends were ok with sharing until they discovered they ran out too.
Anne had a vivid imagination. She kept seeing "Ghost riders" in the sky. So we sang the song til we forgot the lyrics and discussed the songs meaning. We never did arrive to a conclusion. Anne also heard squawking. It was pretty windy now and everything was rattling and making some noise. But Anne was convinced that it was bunch of bats who were scared of the storm. She wanted to find out who was going to take care of the animals, the animals who were scared of the storm. They had a little beagle in their room and she was so scared for the little animals. Anne started shouting to the bats to flee, to seek shelter while Tom laughed at her, telling her they weren't bats; she was just hearing things. I began to wonder why I was still sitting with these folks.
Then the rain started but the wind was so strong the rain
(which was mist at this point) moved in bands. It didn't fall straight down but it moved sideways. The huge lights on the freeway were still working so we could see the wind pushing the rain sideways. Anne thought it looked like a "circus of clouds". Tai just loved that image so we said it several more times that night.
The power on our side of the freeway had gone out hours ago so we could only see what was going on with the large freeway lights and the light from the other side of the freeway. Watching the storm come in was an awesome experience. Yes the wind pelted us with rain and we moved so we could continue staying outside. Without AC our rooms were stuffy and uncomfortable. But the storm brought a cool wind which made outside preferable. The lightening lit up the night sky and we saw all sorts of colors-red, green and blue. It was beautiful until the wind shifted and rain intensified and we ran for safety to our rooms.
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