Facing Down a Hurricane

These pictures are especially important to me.  Some were taken by family in Texas facing Harvey . Some were taken by family after Irma hit the US Virgin Islands.  I got permission before putting them on here. ​

Facing Down a Hurricane Questions. Answers either Harvey or Irma.
1.    I was the first hurricane time-wise, and alphabetically.
2.    I was the strongest hurricane to ever hit the Caribbean.
3.    I hung around raining for days.
4.    Flooding was my worst effect.
5.    I did so much damage that for the first time in 300 years, no one can live where I went over.
6.    My damage is causing problems because another hurricane is coming. 
​See bottom for correct answers.

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​On Friday the 25th Hurricane Harvey made land in Corpus Christi, Texas. On Saturday he should have disappeared, but not Harvey. He was a record-setting hurricane.

The maps above and below show how he did it. Harvey kept his backside spinning over water. It fed him and kept him alive. 
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But when his front side made land, he slowed down. Harvey circled Houston for 5 days before leaving town Wednesday, August 30th.    ​

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Can you imagine 5 straight days of rain? Houston wants to forget. Usually it rains 50 inches a year, but Harvey did it in just 5 days.    

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These are from my son and daughter-in-law’s house. They don’t live on a river. That’s their street. The rain tried to come in from Saturday night till Sunday morning.  
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The Texas Beaches stayed up all night watching it, just in case. They put down a tarp, sandbags, and a few rocks. They jammed towels between the two entry doors.  It worked!  The towels were soaked, but the water stayed outside.
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The rain finally stopped on Tuesday and drained away.  My Texans had 6 straight days of rain. I forgot that rain arrives before the hurricane.   My kids were so lucky!  Towels and tarps don’t work when your neighborhood gets hit with 50 inches.

The first picture is from Sept. 1st. That’s when our Texas cousins posted a picture of their parents’ house on gofundme.com. It was just 2 days after Harvey left Houston.  This was all these grandparents could see of their home.  Now they’re staying with family until repairs can be done. They can’t even get inside to see what survived. Can you imagine?

The 2nd picture is from Sept.9th when they finally go inside their home. But where there are hardships, there are also blessings.  Friends, church friends, and family came in and worked. They wore boots, gloves, and masks. It was the only way to work safely. A neighbor saw them and brought in food.  Sometimes the worst of times bring out the best in people.

These 2 pictures were taken on the 14th. A lot was done on the inside. It’s laying outside, ready to be pitched.  It can’t be saved because of mold and muck. I can’t imagine how difficult this would be. A lifetime of things to say goodbye too. It’s heartbreaking.
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Now, finally, it’s time to start again, to rebuild. Thanks to gofundme and 60 generous people, our cousin’s family raised 80% of their goal. 20% to go!  If you’d like to help, message me. There are also so many other families in need, in Texas and now in Florida. Charities like The Red Cross, Samaritan’s Purse, or your local church will ensure your contributions go to the families who need it. It’s a good feeling to know that you helped someone

After Harvey, I didn’t want to see another hurricane, but Irma covered TV like she covered the Caribbean. Her Sept. 6th headline read, ‘the most powerful hurricane in recorded history smashes into tiny Caribbean islands.’ Compare the two maps, and you’ll see why. She hovered over every island east of Puerto Rico and smashed them to bits. 

Irma was a Category 5 hurricane with winds of over 185. With wind and water, she was devastating. This headline says it all, ‘for the first time in 300 years, there is no one living on the island of Barbuda.’ Imagine, no one, not a soul living in your hometown. It’s a ghost town. The pictures below show you why. St. Thomas was hit later, but Barbuda took Irma’s 2nd hit. It hurts to imagine anything worse.

These are from my cousin’s daughter. She lives on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands. Usually it’s paradise, but not any more. In time it will be again.
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Can you imagine the power you’d need to throw a boat or a car around? A Cat 5 hurricane does it with a few blasts of wind.

Her pictures are from September 8th, when I decided to write this post. They show a small part of St. Thomas’. The island’s hospital was destroyed, its airport looked like a war zone, 80% of the island was demolished, 40,000 people were homeless, and no power for 6 – 12 months. I can’t imagine. How awful for a place that was heaven, a mere month ago.

Since the 8th, Hurricane Jose, a Cat 4 storm, threatened the island. Large scale evacuation by ferry was impossible with storm debris and sea conditions. Private charter boats pitched in to take half the 4500 residents to safety.
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Jose gave the islands a break and passed to the north, but now Maria’s threatening. On Wednesday the 20th, she’s supposed to hit as a Cat 3. My cousin just wrote, “Preparing to lose everything, for the 2nd time in 2 weeks.” I hope not. For her sake and for St. Thomas’, I pray that Maria will follow Jose’s path and head north, out to sea.

Destruction like this doesn’t disappear overnight. It takes time and money to rebuild.  I hope this post will give you an opportunity to look around to see how you can help. Maybe it’s a donation. Maybe a prayer. Those who faced the hurricanes will be grateful for your help.

Harvey or Irma?
1.     I was the first hurricane time-wise, and alphabetically.  Harvey
2.     I was the strongest hurricane to ever hit the Caribbean.  Irma
3.     I hung around raining for days.  Harvey
4.     Flooding was my worst effect.  Harvey
5.     I did so much damage that for the first time in 300 years, no one can live where I went over.  Irma
6.     My damage is causing problems because another hurricane is coming.  Irma

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