After Hurricane Milton

 

front of our house the day before Hurricane Milton

Hurricane Milton is now well east of us in the Atlantic Ocean. Without doubt I speak for all of Florida when I say he was not a welcome visitor and we are relieved he is gone.

back of our house the day before Hurricane Milton

"They" (whoever that is, probably insurance people) said we should take pictures before the storm in case claims have to be made later. It is with sincere gratitude to the Lord, Maker of Heaven and Earth, that I say "THANK YOU" for sparing us any damage at all, in spite of the most dire of forecasted predictions. 

storm clean-up

Of course, both of our coasts got slammed really hard, as we are all seeing on the TV reports. The above is the only snapshot I've taken related to storm damage. Things look a little ragged compared to the picture above it. I didn't take time to frame it artfully, and this was taken from a farther distance. Look carefully to the right of center to see Gary in the back yard, picking up storm debris (just twigs and branches). 

We had no real damage but the flora and fauna look, understandably, a little "roughed up" for the experience. They look better now, several hours later, with sunshine and a stiff breeze fluffing the leaves, much as a woman would fluff up her hair.

evacuation traffic on I-75

Earlier in the week we drove south to the cemetery for the burial of my brother-in-law. We were surprised to see the amount of evacuation traffic headed northbound. For our trip back home, we took back roads, but that, too, was slow-going due in part to the many cars lined up at gas stations and into the streets, waiting to gas up. 

Let me stop here for a moment to make some comments about evacuating. We should not judge too harshly those who choose to leave and also those who choose to remain. There is a lot to consider either way. It would be wise to make hotel reservations ahead of time, if there is no other place to take shelter. But in the press of storm panic, even those reservations may not be available upon arrival. Then there is the matter of how far does one need to drive from home to get shelter? food? gas? 

And as one wise man told me during my first major Florida hurricane in 2017, returning home after the storm has its perils, too. There is heavy traffic again, of course, and then access to home may not yet be opened up if the damage has been severe, if there are primary bridges to cross, flooding, downed trees and light poles, etc. 

To remain in place at home to weather out the storm may seem safe enough, and perhaps is a deterrent to looters; but as we see all the time on the news, sometimes that proves to be a big mistake when sudden floods or tornados wreak havoc. 

Some people use better judgment than others in these dire circumstances, but we have to just let them do what they think is best and pray for God's mercies on us all.

One of my faithful blog readers who, too, was facing Hurricane Milton sent me this prayer from her Leader of Eucharistic Ministers. I thought it was beautiful and prayed it myself as I read her email:

PRAYER OF PROTECTION DURING A STORM

Loving God, maker of heaven and earth,

protect us in your love and mercy.

Be with us, to still our fears

and give us confidence.

In the stormy waters,

Jesus reassured His disciples

by His presence,

calmed the storm,

and strengthened their faith.

Guard us from harm during this storm

and renew our faith

to serve you faithfully.

Give us the courage to face all difficulties

and the wisdom to see the ways

your spirit binds us together

in mutual assistance.

With confidence we make our prayer

through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen

We put out some sandbags this time, something we've not done in the past. When we went to a sand station to fill bags, it was not yet operating, and since we only needed 3, we just bought the pre-bagged stuff at Lowe's. 

sand bags and patio furniture secured

Something I learned about sandbags: those fibrous bags don't keep forever. They mold after getting wet, so after using them, you're supposed to dispose of them. I wondered why there is such a run on the sandbagging locations with each storm....

The storm was predicted to hit the Gulf Coast south of here around 8:30pm. I will admit I was a little disappointed that the worst of it would be after dark, as it was for Hurricane Helene a couple of weeks ago. 

With all those very tall pine trees lined up behind our house, as well as a 40-feet palm tree, and our master bedroom is on the back of the house, we decided to sleep in the guest room. If any of those trees were to blow down on our roof, our chances of surviving would be better in another part of the house.

We slept soundly through it all. Yes, there was the strong wind and rain on the window, but maybe our mutual hearing losses served us well? 🙄

Hobby Lobby purchase 2021

I keep the above sign where I see it every day. In the depths of my grief a few years ago, as soon as I saw this, I knew I had to buy it. The Lord has indeed taken care of me. 

Thanks to all of you who have asked about us and prayed. 

Until next time, grace and peace.