Ike's Aftermath

I just wanted to give you all a quick update...we drove to Frisco on Wednesday night and got to spend some time with Brandon's sister. We headed on up to Frederick the next day to visit Nana and Pawpaw. We were glued to Fox News and the Weather Channel to see exactly what Ike was going to do.

We returned home Sunday and found that our house is ok. We did not suffer any hurricane damage. Around town there are tree limbs and leaves everywhere. Many large trees fell over, there are fences down and signs ripped to pieces. We have a few leaning bushes, but that is minute compared to what so MANY people are facing. It is amazing to see the destruction where we are. I hate to think what could've happened if the hurricane shifted.

The local news is on 24/7 and the images from the devastation are unbelievable. On Crystal Beach there are concrete slabs with posts sticking up all over the island where all the homes washed away. Giant boats are strewn all over the island. There's debris everywhere. All the schools all over Houston and surrounding suburbs are closed. It is going to take forever to get things back to normal.

There are still close to 2 MILLION people without power. Thankfully, it is unseasonably cool for this time of year. That is some consolation for all those without power. There are locations to get ice, water and MRE's all over Houston. You can imagine what a logistical nightmare it must be to get necessities to that many people. The media is showing aerial views of the lines and they snake around the block for miles. Many folks have to wait 2 hours in line to get these items. Then they run out of gas and gas is hard to come by. Even as far west as we are, the pumps have plastic bags over them because their supply can't keep up with demand.

We were so fortunate in that our power was out for less than 24 hours so all the groceries I purchased a couple days before we evacuated weren't ruined! I feel guilty running the air conditioner, opening the stocked fridge, watching TV, running water, doing laundry, and checking my email. So many people won't have those luxuries for who knows how long.

If you all have a chance, go to this website and look at some of the pictures and say a prayer for Houston and Galveston.