Hurrican Ike: Without the Rain

So this week has been a bit crazy due to Hurricane Ike. Yes, Hurricane Ike in Cincinnati. It came through with a vengeance on Sunday afternoon. Now, Andy and I have actually experienced an inland hurricane while living in Alabama. It seemed so odd to secure everything down in Birmingham and have the entire city shut down on a weekday to prepare...we were 4 hours inland! NEVER did I think we'd have to do the same in Cincinnati...12 hours from the ocean! The city didn't shut down, but when Andy and I heard of the possibility of 60-80 mph winds (which did occur), we knew what that was like and prepared everything outside.

Luckily we were home Sunday afternoon. The wind started around 1 PM. Andy had trouble getting gas at the local gas station because of the power flickering and gas running out. Everyone was preparing. We luckily just got both cars back into the garage - all garage sale leftovers returned to the owners or off to goodwill! My fear was the big pear tree on the side of the driveway...didn't want that on top of my car.

Our screened "porch" canopy thingy was bolted to the deck and we had opened the screens so that the wind could blow through it. That lasted about an hour. Stella had just gotten up from her nap and we were all in our family room watching the wind whip through it on the deck. Suddenly Andy screams, "Take this!!" meaning Stella. The whole thing was coming up out of the deck and was about to slam into our kitchen bay windows. Superman Andy ran out (barefoot) and grabbed it by its legs and started ripping the canopy apart. See it was now on its side and the wind was catching the top canopy part that we did not take down. Since the wind was tearing it all apart, Andy joined in - ripping apart every piece that he could. Me - just standing there watching in disbelief as he struggled (remember, he's also barefoot) to keep it away from the house. Thoughts were running through my mind - he's barefoot, I'm pregnant, Stella and I are right in front of the window that it could come through, I should go outside, I shouldn't leave Stella, I really shouldn't leave Stella in front of a window, Andy really needs help! So I ran Stella back to her crib and threw every toy I could inside and said, "Read a book, mommy will be right back" and headed out to help. After a few minutes and a few scratches on the window frame (but not the glass!) we (mainly Andy) were able to get the thing apart and stacked near the house. Stella was understanding - she never cried. She was sitting in her bed reading a book when I returned 15 minutes later. The only other thing we lost was 1/2 a tree in the backyard.

And then the power went out. We have a gas stove so I was still able to make tacos for dinner and fed the neighbors. We were fortunate. The power returned to our neighborhood after about 5 hours. Many people were out for DAYS and some may not get power back until Saturday or Sunday. Monday Andy and I were both off because we were going to take Stella to the zoo. Good thing she wasn't old enough to understand that and then be disappointed because we didn't make it. Instead, Andy cleaned up the yard for about 6 hours. Mom and Michael came up because they still didn't have power. All of the neighbors were out cutting down trees and raking up debris. One street over was a mess.

This week has been interesting. Everyone's emotions are a wreck at work, etc. Those without power look wore out. I had a luncheon for 20 people on Tuesday. Finding that lunch was FUN. I think I got the last pizzas from one of the few LaRosa's that was even open. We got the last bacon and peppers...they were probably closing 30 minutes after I was there due to a lack of toppings! Driving became taking your life into your own hands as cars ignored traffic lights that were out and didn't bother to treat it like a 4-way stop. Getting gas was a scavenger hunt. Finding groceries another adventure. When the power came on in a major retail development, Kroger and Wal-Mart were swamped. We headed to Whole Foods - us and two other families! We got everything we needed immediately. Did we pay a bit more...sure, but well worth it! I had a pregnancy check-up on Wednesday. The office said to come on in. I didn't realize that they were out of power. But imagine being handed a flashlight and a cup for a urine sample and then having a belly exam (checking for the baby's heartbeat) by candlelight.

Now I admit, we had it easy since we had power at home. However, I can't believe the amount of whining and complaining all week. And the rudeness of people. I think we all need to have our power off every now and then to think about the important things in life. I heard lots of people talk about spending time with their kids outside, talking to neighbors, helping one another - all things they said were rare now-a-days. Again, we are lucky because I realized how fortunate we are to live in our neighborhood. These things aren't rare on my street. Although we had power, our schools were out for 3 days and the kids were outside and the neighbors were talking to one another like usual. We all help each other out regularly - not just during storms.

So maybe we should all consider blackout weekends every now and then (and I mean blackouts of tvs and video games, but keep the refrigerators and medical equipment running!). And we should all think about the REAL hurricane victims. Can you imagine? In the end, we are blessed.