Ike's Devastation

Well............we got home last night, barely. Seriously, it got a wee bit scary. We saw the signs that said "do not go to Houston or Beaumont," but they didn't really phase us. So, we were trucking right along and came to the first town without power. The whole town was completely shut down and dark. Kind of creepy. Then to the next town, still no power. It went on like that for a while. To make a long story short, we did finally get gas. We had to go out of our way, but we got gas. My neighbor, Pat, had prepared me for the mess that Ike had left. I wasn't surprised when I saw the streets covered with leaves and all of the trees down. I wasn't surprised by all the trash blown all over our neighborhood. I was however, unprepared for what I saw this morning as I headed to the grocery store. We went to Wal-mart because it was the closest. The line for gas was unbelievable. At least a 2 hour wait. The shelves on the food side were wiped out. We were able to get what we needed, but we certainly couldn't be choosy. I was really in shock. The things I usually come by so easily, like safe drinking water, gas, and food, are things that I take for granted. Imagine pulling up to the gas station and they say "sorry, out of gas." It would pose a little problem.

As for our home, the damage is minimal. I am going to have to replace some landscaping, but that is about it. I am so thankful. A lot of people around us are still without power. Actually, our streets are FULL of cars because people are sharing their homes.