August 29, 2005

Hurricane Katrina slammed into Louisiana and the Mississippi gulf coasts today.  Our electricity went out at 11:30 a.m.  The worst of the wind here occurred between 3 and 7 p.m.  I've heard the winds reached 75 mph here which is hurricane force.  A pine tree fell in the back yard - away from the house.  Several trees fell on the properties around us but nothing fell on the house except tons of leaves, twigs, and branches.

We sat around playing Mancala and a game of Life.  We talked and laughed some...ate sandwiches...went to bed to the sound of wind and rain.

It was hard to distinguish the grass from the leaves.

Leaves were plastered everywhere.  This is the back of our shed.

The only tree that fell in our yard...away from our house!

August 30, 2005

Word is Katrina was worse than Camille.  I grew up hearing horror tales of Camille which struck in 1969.

Can't get in touch with Mawmaw (my MIL) or Grammy and Grampy (my parents).  Grampy left a voice message on DH's cell phone saying they have eight trees down but are ok.  (My MIL lives in Poplarville.  My parents live in Columbia.  Both are south of here and sustained much more damage.)

No water or electricity. DH has located a generator we're sharing with three other people.  We hope to save the food in our freezer. 

Phone service came back, but I'm still not able to reach Grammy and Grampy and Mawmaw.  Difficult to go check on them because of the limited availability of gas here and south of here.

Radio says at least 200 people are still trapped on their roof tops awaiting rescue in New Orleans.  (That figure will rise.) 80% of the city is under water.  Looting is rampant.  I know Jesus loves looters too, but in my book they are scum to take such advantage of this horrible situation. (DH and DD(14) remind me that isn't a very Christian attitude.  I know it isn't.  I can understand stealing food and water, but I'm hearing accounts of stealing tv's and other electronics. These are my thoughts uncensored.)

Kevin and Lisa (friends) have water and a gas hot water heater.  We all went there for showers. I ended up taking a cold shower anyway.  It felt soooooo good!  We were sweating before we reached home.

I grilled hot dogs for lunch and hamburgers for supper.  I'm glad we got the grill with the burner on the side.  I also cooked mac and cheese.

DH has some running around to do with the generator; but we managed to get in a game of Monopoly...I won!  We sat on the patio for a bit while DS(17) serenaded us with his guitar by candle light.  Later the girls and I gazed at the stars for a while...until the mosquitoes drove us in.

We'll need ice tomorrow.  I'm glad I caught water in the tub.  I can thank my mother for that foresight.  When I was growing up she always filled the tub with water anytime a hurricane was anywhere near the MS gulf coast.  Thanks to her we have flushing water and water for dishes.

August 31, 2005

Mawmaw got through to us on DH's cell phone.  Many trees are down in her yard, but their house was miraculously spared.  Ben (my cousin) and my mother called.  Again, many trees are down, but their houses were spared.

DH, our girls, and I waited 2 1/2 hours in line for gas.

A friend called asking if we needed ice.  Her mom was helping distribute free ice in town.  She brought us a huge bag.  PTL for Erin!

My girls and I played in a rain shower then cleaned the church best we could with no electricity or running water. 

We cleaned up the yard.

The whole family took a dip in Bro. Gary's (minister of youth and music) pool which still looks good.

The water came back on around 6:30 p.m. !!!

September 1, 2005

It's crazy!!! Gas lines are out of control and regular unleaded has hit a record high at Kroger...$2.99/gallon!

We washed and dried a load of white clothes at Kevin's house where I caught some TV coverage of Katrina.  Thousands and thousands of shell-shocked people waited on I-10 near the Superdome waiting to be evacuated.  To where??? Some will go to the Astrodome in Huston.  What will they do then??? It's like a war zone; Katrina is the enemy.  The paper says the entire city of N.O. will be evacuated.  That's 1.3 million displaced people, not counting those in Mississippi!

I'm off to take a cold shower, thankful to have water of any kind.  DS (17) was called into work.  He's never been so glad to go...air-conditioning and non-canned food is a powerful draw . 

We all ate at Mazzio's for lunch.  (Pizza).  Yum! Yum!  Wal-mart was crazy!!

Tonight we played Clue.  DH had a lucky guess making the game very short.  K.R. and K.W. came by to visit.  It was nice sitting outside in the cool evening just talking.  K.R. is a police officer.  He was called out to go to Waveland, MS and is home for a week because he and K.W. are getting married.  He said there were dead bodies everywhere.  He'll go back in a week to help with recovery.  My prayers are with him.

September 2, 2005

Dace (friend) cleaned out his freezer today.  He was going to throw out several gallons of ice cream that was soft but still good.  DH rescued it.  We called our neighbors to come enjoy it with us.  The rest we put in our freezer.  Hope we can save it.

Today we took 55 gallons of gas to Poplarville. (Where MIL lives)  Someone had donated it.  I was nervous carrying it...what if we wrecked?!?!?!  DH told me afterwards that some people have been car-jacked trying to take gas to Katrina victims in the South.  It's an absolute miracle my in-law's house is still standing.  Trees are down all around it.  Power lines are everywhere.  How long will recovery take?  Mawmaw says she wishes she thought to ask for bread. I regret I didn't think about it.  I had a couple of loaves at home.  They have a generator and are eating food from their freezer.  (9-5-05 I heard today that President Bush will be in Poplarville today! Bad circumstances but way cool!)

Ate supper at Ole Hickory (where DS17 works).

The days are hot and miserable.  Some times I feel like crying.  But my motto is:  As long as I'm not on a roof top in New Orleans I'm good."  Then I feel like crying for them.

The evacuation centers here are bursting at the seams.  The need everywhere is overwhelming. What can one poor mom do???  I'm checking on area needs.  Morrison Heights Baptist Church is asking families to take in refugees.  The Stew Pot (area homeless outreach ministry) needs food and toiletry items.  Amy (friend) is checking on the centers in our area.

My mom (a.k.a.Grammy) called my cell phone.  DS had it.  I don't know why she didn't call DH's phone.  I tried to call her back but can't reach her.  Even Ben's phone is out now.

September 3, 2005

My allergies and asthma are bothering me.  My throat is a little sore and very hoarse. 

DH went to get gas for the generator this morning and only waited 45 minutes.  (Who'd have thought we'd ever say "only" 45 minutes!?!?!) He was able to fill up his truck and only two gas cans.  Word came that ice and water are being given away at the park in town.  DH is trying to get some right now.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Mom called.  Their generator threw a rod, but they managed to get another one.  They're hearing it may be two months before they get power.  Daddy is running part of his mail route today.  No one has heard from Lisa and Brad (my cousin and her husband).  They live in Petal which was hard hit.  Phone lines and cell towers are down.  Mom managed to call me on her obsolete bag phone.  Imagine...I'd been telling her to get rid of it and get a cell phone for a long time!  Now cell phones don't work in her area!!!

Tree crews came down our street clearing trees and limbs from our lines.  I shouted thank you to one and asked where he was from.  Kentucky.  God bless all the workers from Kentucky!  A power crew then came through repairing the lines.  No electricity as of bed time.  It has been 5 1/2 days since we've had power.

DH, our girls, and I went to K.R. and K.W.'s wedding.  It was so sweet!  I like both of them a lot.

September 4, 2005

No power this morning - but hopeful. All the windows are open as we enjoy the coolness while we can.  I'm outside now.  I love sitting out here in the cool morning.  The only sound is the generator washing a load of laundry; 

occasionally one of the children's voices punctuates the air.  (Now dd10 has joined me on the front porch.  She's eating a can of Vienna sausages while the cat curves around her feet begging for a taste.)

Can I be honest here?  I'm not ready for the power to come back on.  I mean, sure, I'm ready to be cool, take a warm shower, and be able to use my stove and refridgerator (and curling iron, and computer, and watch the news), but I like the sense of community being forced outside brings.  I like having my windows open, I like the togetherness and creativity "boredom" generates.  I like conversing under the stars or in the living room by candle-light.  The gas shortage keeps the community a little closer to home.  This is a good thing.  Can we keep this when the lights come back on? 

I must stop for now and prepare for a 9:00 a.m.church service - without electicity.  This is "Little House" up close and personal (minus the generator and vienna sausages of course  .) Maybe I'll walk the 1/2 mile to church this morning.  It's only 1/2 mile, and it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Returned home from church to POWER!  Now I can see just how messy my house is.  YIKES!  We all wanted the computer first.  DH mobilized us to get the living room and kitchen in order.  We threw out a good bit from the fridge.  PTL!!! Some friends came by and gave us enough money to eat out and restock the fridge!  After eating pizza rolls for lunch and finishing our cleaning, we went to Wal-mart.  Crazy place!! Many shelf spots were empty including sugar, jelly, and regular mustard.  (Fortunately I have enough of that stuff.)  The eggs were ransacked, but we managed to piece together two dozen.  Afterwards we ate at Popeyes where we ran into a family from Jefferson Parish (New Orleans).  We asked if they needed anything. They said no.  I think they were just glad someone cared.

In the face of such overwhelming need, we all feel helpless. There is no way we can meet all those needs.  A cup of cold water, a bag of groceries, a pack of diapers is soon gone and the need returns as powerfully as before.  Some of us have limited resources or are in crisis ourselves. What can we do?!?!? I heard of a country music singer who sent three truckloads of food to the Mississippi Gulf Coast...that's wonderful!  (I happen to know this person has a generous, caring heart.)  The problem is, I can't send even one truck load.  My efforts seem so insignificant in comparison. I'm learning that we should never under-estimate the kindness factor...it goes a long way. That cup of cold water, that bag of groceries, that pack of diapers shows someone cares.  We can face a lot if we only know someone cares. We should do what we can, however much that is. 

I'm reminded of Jesus' words regarding the widow who put a mere two pence into the offering boxes, "The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today.  All these others gave offerings they'll never miss, she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford - she gave her all."  (Luke 21:3-4) 

Our all goes a long way in the hands of Almighty God who is more than able to supply all our needs.

"Show me where to go, how should I live

Help me to know how it feels to have nothing left to give

You can teach me, open eyes help me see."

~ From "Open Eyes" written by Kyle Jeffcoat

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