Got My Power Back

According to the flashing clocks, I lost power at 2:56am. I was able to sleep through most of the storm when it came through thanks to having many days, maybe even a week, during which I slept very little. There were a few instances when the wind blasted my window so powerfully that it woke me up, but with the lack of sleep it was pretty easy to slip back into Slumberland. Even after the power went out and the temp started rising I was able to sleep pretty well. The rest of my family were not as fortunate. A few of them stated up much of the night due to the noise and my dad wound up having some kind of stomach bug.

This morning there was very little damage around the house. A pear tree in the backyard was snapped in half at the trunk and two palm trees were uprooted slightly. The rest of the area, as many as you can see were not nearly as lucky. I really lucked out with the way the Ike kept to the east of me. The weather is still pretty humid, but the heat is relatively cool when compared to the highs that we usually experience at this time of year. There is a cool front forecasted to move through tomorrow, so as long as some of those folks without power can make it through the night they should experience some cooler air. The oddest thing about the day, after the night we had, is that the air was incredibly still. There was no breeze blowing. The lack of circulating air really made the humid air feel a bit stale.

It was shortly after 8pm, just as I had lit a candle oddly enough, when the power came back and I was able to see what kind of destruction was left in the wake. The news is still running nonstop. They're covering whatever they can, replaying segments that were recorded earlier in the day, and going over tips for what everyone can do to work on those insurance claims. They've also been scouring the area to find where people have congregated and get some stories. There have been a few gas stations that are in operation, but the lines have been stretching into the streets. Even the gas stations that don't have gas are still getting long lines from those who are looking for cold drinks and some food. It's not clear if these people just didn't prepare or they just didn't have enough stocked up. I recognized one of the gas stations they were located at was near an old apartment of mine. One of the best stories that I saw was of a neighborhood where an individual was sharing his generator with five other homes and helping the rest with some cool drinks.