Hurricane Ike

We're very blessed that the Lord has taken care of us. For those who were wondering, we made it through the rage, known as Hurricane Ike. First and foremost, our prayers are out there for those who are still rebuilding and/or taking shelter in this time of need. We're thankful to have such wonderful family to be with during the storm. Also, a big THANK YOU for all the prayers and communication help from all of our friends and family. Here's our story..

Thursday, James goes to work and everyone was fairly shocked to see him there. With the threat of Ike at our heels, a lot of folks decided not to go into work and get their families and homes ready. James continued to text me all morning, expressing his concern about the hurricane, and was asking me to prepare for a departure to Humble. He stayed for only an hour and then came home. We got all of our stuff ready and figured out a route from League City to Humble that didn't involve major highways. There were mandatory evacuations in progress, and while our city was only voluntary, we were worried that we would be too close to the sea level that we'd get trapped by the storm surges. We hopped into our cars, filled with some clothes and necessities and headed to Humble. It took us 3 hours to drive a normal 1 hour trip. We made it to Humble, thanks to the hospitality of Ronnie and Eighmy. That night was filled with fun and laughter, as there were speculation of what Ike would do.

Friday, we found out that a lot of stores had closed early. Many were preparing for Ike. Watching the news, we saw that a lot of folks were stuck on Galveston Island due to the large waves brought on by Ike. The news was filled with updates and a lot of precautions to take due to the upcoming hurricane. While the night came on, the lights started to flicker. The wind was getting worse. We filled the bath tubs with water, which was very dirty. The power gave out after midnight. Candles were lit and the winds were noisy. Everyone was getting tired and decided to sleep away the storm. James opted to sleep in the bathroom, which worked out because the cool floor was nice since the air conditioning was no longer working. He didn't want to fall asleep in the bedroom, worried that debris would hit the windows and we would wake up with glass in our face. He fell asleep fairly quickly, I stayed up and listened to the wind. Around 5:30am-6am, I heard silence. I knew it must have been the eye of the hurricane. I finally was able to fall asleep and wait to see what Ike had done.

Saturday, we wake up sweaty and hot. We move to the bedroom but still hear the winds outside. I text my friends, letting them know that we were alright and asking for information since we did not have power/internet. The response was wonderful, we knew for sure that Ike was gone and we were to expect rain bands. Our neighborhood is roughed up and Houston in general has no power. There was a curfew in place, but not wanting to be indoors any longer, we actually found a restaurant that was serving hot food.

Sunday, a lot of the power is still out. We took a chance and actually found a Walmart that was open. We didn't get all the supplies that we needed, but fortunately were able to find flashlights and extra candles. There was also a Lowes across the street of Walmart, and they were out of a lot of things as well. Home Depot were having generators shipped, there were few gas stations open, restuarants with power were starting to serve on limited menus, and everyone was waiting for FEMA to arrive. We found a bar despite the curfew, and got a chance to relax.

Monday, we needed gas. We had to get it for James' truck since we had not filled up since we left League City. We drove past a couple of closed gas stations and saw some hope with a huge line waiting on the frontage road. We sat there waiting, slowly moving forward and saw that it was closed to the public. Frustrated, we drove and found another gas station with a line. James got out and spoke to another person waiting and was informed that everyone was waiting for a generator for the gas station. We waited for a little while, but the weather was actually really good, being dry and cool. James went inside to get some water and found out that there was no generator coming, and everyone was waiting for the power to come on. Frustrated again, we left and headed north. We finally saw another line that seemed a little more promising. James didn't want to waste time again, so he walked and asked if there was gas. There was hope! There was gas and the lines were moving very efficiently. The workers of the gas station let cars in one by one as those that filled their tanks were leaving. Regretting that we didn't get gas tanks, we finally filled up the truck with gas and headed back home to assess the damage. On the long drive, we could only imagine what we were coming home to. We didn't expect to come home with no damage and with power! We were in shock! We thanked God for giving us this, and decided it was time to come home. We drove around a little more and found a FEMA POD. We waited in line for 2 bags of ice, 2 packages of water and a box of MREs. The line moved very well, as they were just throwing the stuff in your car as you drove by them slowly.

It's amazing to see how people come together during this time of need. James and I have already decided to give back and help those who need it. We're all together in this and no matter what, we can rebuild.