Sept. 24, 2005 ~ Dodging a bullet
She was headed straight for us, with heavy rains and strong winds predicted for at least 48 hours. And then, as so often happens with storms, Rita turned on a different path, and those two solid days of rain changed to ONE day of rain and wind, and we now think the worst is over.
There was a lot of wind and the rain was blowing sideways for quite awhile. At times I thought the front door was going to be ripped open, but we came through it okay. Disaster averted. There are downed power lines and uprooted or fallen trees, but WE, personally, are okay. And we still have power; others were not so lucky. We haven't checked our fences yet... Husband will do that tomorrow... and we aren't sure about our road to town, but I expect it will be all right or we will come back to the house for a chain saw and will cut our way out. If someone else hasn't done that already. Most likely it will be clear. We hope the roof and the barns and everything else is in good shape... we'll know more tomorrow.
The police are asking residents to stay put and not get out on the roads, but surely it will be okay to drive to church in the morning. Many churches have cancelled services but ours, at this point, has not.
We are sorry for those whom the storm did not spare, those who are suffering now and for the foreseeable future.
The police are also asking locals NOT to fill up with gas for the next few days, if at all possible, so there will be gasoline available for those going back to the coastal area. That seems only sensible and fair, and I hope most folks are able to comply with that request.
As for us, it is still raining, but we are breathing a huge sigh of relief, as it looks like we dodged a bullet. For that we give thanks.
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