I'm Safe!

Hey, gang! I'm safe! My house has half of its shingles missing. The other half are pretty beat up. We lost two large camellia bushes, one next to the garage, one beside the kitchen window. Vince, at this writing, has covered the roof of the house with plastic sheeting (Visqueen sp?). He's going tomorrow (Labor Day) to cover the garage roof. Thankfully, no rain here except a stray shower on Tuesday or Wednesday last week. We are living in our camper in Mobile, AL at Claudia's, Vince's sister. His parents are also here. Our plans are to stay here until we get electricity. If we go to Wiggins, I will let you know the number there by email. My cell number works, but Vince will have it. Plus I don't know how easy it is to get through. Mom and Chelle have Claudia's phone number here in Mobile, so if you want to call me, ask them for the number. I won't give it here for security reasons.

What an adventure we have had! It is not one I care to live through again anytime soon, believe me! I am catching all kinds of grief over the name of this storm. I just tell people to "Stop it." Let me catch you up to date on what has happened so far. Last Sunday, we loaded up and came to Mobile. I kind of wanted to go further, but by the time we got here, it was just better to settle in. The traffic through Mobile was going to be horrendous at best. All night long we heard blowing winds and driving rain on the top of the camper. We woke the next morning and fought our way to the house.

We didn't lose power until Monday morning at 10:30. Up until then we watched the eye make the second landfall in Waveland and move up through Stennis Space Center and Picayune, MS. After the power went out, we watched Glenn's little battery powered TV. WLOX in Biloxi is our TV station. They lost part of their roof during the storm. Their studio is just north of the CSX railroad tracks in Biloxi. They also lost part of their communications when a tower fell. The storm lasted all day and the winds didn't really calm down until midnight Tuesday morning. We were getting about 50 mile per hour winds with gusts up to 75 mph here in Mobile. The rain was horizontal and there was not a lot, so toward the end of the day, the kids played in the wind because the rain was not so bad and the winds had calmed down a bit. During the day, we would sit on the front porch and watch the trees across the street as they practically laid down. None of them broke because they were such skinny little pine trees. Their porch is on the north side of the house and was sheltered from the wind.

The real nightmare began the next day when temperatures soared into the upper 80s, and we had no air-conditioning. Vince and his dad went back to Wiggins and Gulfport to survey the damage, but we were left with Vince's elderly mother and Bethany. We luckily had some of a breeze, but the only relief was to sit outside in the shade. I did do school with the kids that day because otherwise, they would have been bored. They have been swimming everyday since the storm left us. The next day was even hotter, and we didn't have a breath of wind stirring. It was so miserable. It seems like it went on for days, but we were only without electricity for 2 1/2 days. It finally came on Wednesday at 4:00 in the afternoon. Believe me when I tell you there was great rejoicing throughout the whole neighborhood here.

What else can I tell you? We've all been through electrical outages because of ice storms or wind storms, so you know how things are without electricity for several days. I just feel sorry for my friends who are still there and probably won't have electricity for another 2-3 weeks. The distressing part of this whole disaster is the lack of gasoline. You should see the long lines of people lining up at the gas pumps to purchase a limit of $50 worth of gas. Vince did say that if one is from MS, there is no limit on gas purchases. That is very kind of these Alabamians to help us out in this way. Don't even get me started on the devastation you've all seen in NO and the Gulf Coast. Many of our friends have lost their homes. It's like I was telling my mother-in-law, it doesn't matter what your race, income, or religion, this storm touched all kinds of people in a devastating way. Don't let the national news media tell you any different.

Many people are asking how they can help. It was suggested by the TV station that you might want to donate money to the American Red Cross. It would not be a good idea to come down here until later. If you know any good construction people or roofing people, I can guarantee that once insurance checks start coming in, they would definitely be able to find work. If any organization is planning on getting a container full of supplies ready to be shipped here, keep in mind that many of our churches were completely wiped out. FBC, Gulfport is gone, as is FBC, Long Beach from what I understand. They would not have the space available to store such a container or deliver its contents. It may be better to get in touch with Dionne Williams at the Gulf Coast Baptist Association. Again, keep in mind phone service is limited at this time, so you may not be able to get in touch with anyone very easily. I have tried numerous times to get in touch with my pastor. I was only successful when I got in touch with Chuck Register, the pastor at FBC Gulfport.

Well, it looks like we're on the verge of a thunderstorm here, so I'd better get this posted now. I will add more information to the blog as I get it.