Hurricane Aftermath

master bathroom decor

While Gary and I have been spared the worst hits of Hurricane Helene, we have family south of us on the Gulf coast who have described shocking damage less than a mile from their home. 

The destruction they are cleaning up is wind-blown debris, limbs and palm fronds, pine needles everywhere and broken limbs from their white Plumeria tree. They watched the storm water surge 7 feet into their cul-de-sac. Fortunately they needed to use their generator for only a couple of hours. They do not appear to have damage more than that on their property, just a huge mess to clean up.

But they posted more devastating reports very close to their home:

video on Facebook from John's Pass 

report regarding Treasure Island. 

These locations are just a mile away, on the Gulf and barrier islands. This is the area from Clearwater to St. Pete. 

The storm surge was 6-10 feet, depending on the tide that attacked as a fast slam, leaving 6 feet of sand covering the streets. 

North of us, still on the Gulf, where the coastline bends around to the west, which is called Florida's Big Bend area, are much smaller towns, fishing-village-type places, that have buckled into broken sticks. You've surely seen pictures on the TV reports. 

emergency lantern

We live some 60 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, so the effects of Hurricane Helene were not devastating to us. The east side of our town, surprisingly, had more wind damage than us with trees downed over power lines, roads, cars, and fences. 

tree fell through a fence;
photo from Ocala newspaper

Landfall was expected to be around 11pm Thursday night. We headed to bed a couple hours before that, per usual, and slept soundly. Before bed, Gary had pulled out some nifty battery-powered lanterns to keep in the bathrooms for nocturnal visits, and made sure we each had a flashlight on our side of the bed. (I discovered 3 of them in my night table drawer.)

Gary removed from its box his new solar generator (which uses a battery) and set it on the kitchen counter beside our refrigerator, in case the power were to go out.

As it turned out, our power flickered only once, apparently very briefly while we slept, so the generator was never powered up. I think he may have been slightly disappointed it was not necessary to use it but also relieved. 

Living this far inland from both the Gulf and the Atlantic, not close to any rivers or streams, in a concrete block house with underground utilities, and a brand-new roof, well, there were a lot of positives in our favor with this storm. 

But even with that said, there are more storms brewing out in the Atlantic and Caribbean as I type this, so the challenges may not be over yet. Hurricane season traditionally ends on November 30th.

storm debris on a neighbor's driveway

The destruction in our 55+ community appears to have been limited to pine needles, twigs, and broken small branches. A couple of residents have noted damage to their large sliding glass doors that took the full hit of wind. 

We have a CERT group (Critical Emergency Response Team) that gives out a large sign for times like this. After the storm has passed, we are instructed to place the sign in a street-facing window. The green is to indicate we are okay, not needing any help.

The other side of the sign is red, a call for help.

We put our sign in one of the garage windows, the location that is nearest to the street. Gary later saw a woman wearing one of those bright yellow vests trimmed with orange drive past in a golf cart, looking at each house as she sent by. We assume she was with CERT, checking on everyone.  

Thankful as we are for our good outcome, we realize that trouble comes to all people at one time or another. None of us are immune to the hard knocks of life. 

One of my takeaways from this storm is to remember to be gentle to all people as much as possible. Suffering can be very obvious, as when a home is cruelly washed away in the churning surf. Other times, pain is not obvious to the casual observer because it is hid deep inside of us.

This past summer I came across this book by a Christian author that speaks to how we deal with disasters of all kinds. After flipping through it, I decided it may have been written for me, and made the purchase.

purchase information

Quoting the back cover, "When our circumstances unravel, how do we hold on to truth, to hope, to who we're meant to be?" Hardships, as I have learned in recent years, can knock a person off balance, throwing off into odd directions what had only a short time before seemed so firm and secure. 

As per my habit with books I own and don't intend to share, I hi-lite with colored pencils statements that fit me:

blue for trouble, attacks, misbehavior, sin

red for information worth noting

purple describing who God is, what He does

green for what I should do, instructions

This color-coding, as well as handwritten margin notes and sometimes a hasty sketch of something turn my books into a journal, which is why I would rarely, if ever, share some of my books for another to read. But marking up my books this way helps me to easily review important points that are most meaningful to me.

Hurricane Helene brought with it the damage and loss we see on the TV news reports. At the same time, the storm threatened our sense of peace. This author gives "language to the voices that dwell in the deepest chambers of our wounded souls." I highly recommend this book for those who need rest from the mental turmoil brought on by life. 

Jesus told us, "In this life you will have trouble" (John 16:33), but to be encouraged because He has overcome the world. 

Until next time, grace and peace.