Florence and Harvey...two names that I will forever dislike now.
As I've been praying for the folks in the path of Florence since we found out its path, something came to me today, and I'll get to that in a minute.
One year ago, Houston, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Rockport, Port Aransas, Victoria, Conroe, Katy, and Port Arthur, were the hardest hit. After Harvey left the area, Addicks had floodgates opened, which flooded the surrounding area. The devastation was monumental, but what we saw from that was people helping people. Entire volunteer crews came with boats, jet skis, rafts, inner tubes, whatever floated, they were used to evacuate those who could not or would not leave before the flood waters hit. When the waters receded, again, volunteer crews came in and mudded out homes, helped folks recover what they could, treated homes for mold, or helped in the removal of what was left of the home. There were churches and organizations who stepped up to offer meals, shelter, clothing, goods...whatever was needed, no questions asked. There was no Black, White, Hispanic, Oriental, or Muslim. No questions about religion were asked, just neighbors helping neighbors. What resulted was a more unified community than ever before. We were all the same, people in need. Which brings me to my prayers of late.
I have been praying, as I said, since I found out where Florence was heading, that it would "take a right turn at Albuquerque" (a Bugs Bunny reference for those who are unfamiliar with the term...certainly not where it needed to land. ;) ), and head out into the Atlantic where it would die out. Then this morning, as I was pleading for the hurricane to turn, it occurred to me that there might be a reason that it won't. Hurricane Harvey was brought to mind. Now mind you, I am still praying that it takes off north and doesn't hit anything but cold water, but hear me out.
If it does hit land, my prayers are for minimal devastation and loss of life. That is my biggest prayer. But if it does, I can almost for certain tell you that what happened here in Houston will occur in the areas hit. As I type this, I know for a fact that the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief team is en-route to the possible affected areas, and will have the facilities set up to move in rescue/relief efforts. ADRA, The Catholic Church relief efforts, the Mormon Church...they will all be there ahead of Red Cross to make sure those who were left behind for whatever reason, are taken care of. They will be there to help in the recovery efforts, and will still be there when the waters have dried up. They will be there as long as it takes to get the folks back on their feet. That's what they did here, that's what they will do there. And people will not see the color of folks skin, their religion or social status...what they will see is a human being in need of help, and help they will, and those communities will become stronger because of it.
To all in the path of Florence: Please, if there are evacuation orders in your area, please leave. I know its hard to leave everything that is dear to you, but remember, your life is more important than stuff.
Do not leave your pets to fend for themselves. Mass numbers of pets ended up in shelters here because their families left them behind. They're scared and cannot do for themselves. Their people are nowhere to be seen, and now they're in a cage surrounded by unfamiliar scents and people. They're part of your family, get them out too.
If no evacuation orders are given for your area, make sure you are prepared with enough charcoal, lighter fluid, matches or lighters, water and non-perishable food items for at least three weeks. I know that sounds like a lot, but better safe than sorry, and make sure any cookware you have for those three weeks is fire-safe (think cast iron/aluminum...no plastic or silicon). It's durable and cooks well on the grill. Also, tin foil is helpful for things cooked on the grill. Make sure you have candles, kerosene lamps, or in case of extreme emergency, a 64 count box of crayons will do. I believe each crayon will burn 30 minutes (it could be an hour, but I'm not sure), and is non-toxic. The key here is common sense. That freezer full of food will be thawed out, so don't get anything perishable. One thing a friend of mine did was to fill clean gallon jugs with fresh water, and put them in his freezer. The food was good for a while, and when needed, he thawed out a jug of water. Another thing to do is to fill the bathtub with water. Try to get chargers for your phone or computers that you can plug into your car lighter, and make sure you have gas on hand, that might be in short supply.
Again, common sense rules.
If you can't get out, get as high off the ground as you can. Call an emergency line if you can. And when you're safe, let at least one loved one know so they can pass the information along.
All this to say, folks, I'm still praying that behemoth will take a right turn and stall out in cold water, or cease altogether. I'm praying that God will have mercy on those in its path. But in the event that answer is no, then I will be praying for minimal devastation and loss of life, just as I did here. Please know that the whole Country, and especially the victims of Harvey are watching that monster closely, and praying fervently that it will peter out, and that lives will not be lost.
Please be safe, my Friends. Our prayers are with you.
~L
One year ago, Houston, Corpus Christi, Galveston, Rockport, Port Aransas, Victoria, Conroe, Katy, and Port Arthur, were the hardest hit. After Harvey left the area, Addicks had floodgates opened, which flooded the surrounding area. The devastation was monumental, but what we saw from that was people helping people. Entire volunteer crews came with boats, jet skis, rafts, inner tubes, whatever floated, they were used to evacuate those who could not or would not leave before the flood waters hit. When the waters receded, again, volunteer crews came in and mudded out homes, helped folks recover what they could, treated homes for mold, or helped in the removal of what was left of the home. There were churches and organizations who stepped up to offer meals, shelter, clothing, goods...whatever was needed, no questions asked. There was no Black, White, Hispanic, Oriental, or Muslim. No questions about religion were asked, just neighbors helping neighbors. What resulted was a more unified community than ever before. We were all the same, people in need. Which brings me to my prayers of late.
I have been praying, as I said, since I found out where Florence was heading, that it would "take a right turn at Albuquerque" (a Bugs Bunny reference for those who are unfamiliar with the term...certainly not where it needed to land. ;) ), and head out into the Atlantic where it would die out. Then this morning, as I was pleading for the hurricane to turn, it occurred to me that there might be a reason that it won't. Hurricane Harvey was brought to mind. Now mind you, I am still praying that it takes off north and doesn't hit anything but cold water, but hear me out.
If it does hit land, my prayers are for minimal devastation and loss of life. That is my biggest prayer. But if it does, I can almost for certain tell you that what happened here in Houston will occur in the areas hit. As I type this, I know for a fact that the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief team is en-route to the possible affected areas, and will have the facilities set up to move in rescue/relief efforts. ADRA, The Catholic Church relief efforts, the Mormon Church...they will all be there ahead of Red Cross to make sure those who were left behind for whatever reason, are taken care of. They will be there to help in the recovery efforts, and will still be there when the waters have dried up. They will be there as long as it takes to get the folks back on their feet. That's what they did here, that's what they will do there. And people will not see the color of folks skin, their religion or social status...what they will see is a human being in need of help, and help they will, and those communities will become stronger because of it.
To all in the path of Florence: Please, if there are evacuation orders in your area, please leave. I know its hard to leave everything that is dear to you, but remember, your life is more important than stuff.
Do not leave your pets to fend for themselves. Mass numbers of pets ended up in shelters here because their families left them behind. They're scared and cannot do for themselves. Their people are nowhere to be seen, and now they're in a cage surrounded by unfamiliar scents and people. They're part of your family, get them out too.
If no evacuation orders are given for your area, make sure you are prepared with enough charcoal, lighter fluid, matches or lighters, water and non-perishable food items for at least three weeks. I know that sounds like a lot, but better safe than sorry, and make sure any cookware you have for those three weeks is fire-safe (think cast iron/aluminum...no plastic or silicon). It's durable and cooks well on the grill. Also, tin foil is helpful for things cooked on the grill. Make sure you have candles, kerosene lamps, or in case of extreme emergency, a 64 count box of crayons will do. I believe each crayon will burn 30 minutes (it could be an hour, but I'm not sure), and is non-toxic. The key here is common sense. That freezer full of food will be thawed out, so don't get anything perishable. One thing a friend of mine did was to fill clean gallon jugs with fresh water, and put them in his freezer. The food was good for a while, and when needed, he thawed out a jug of water. Another thing to do is to fill the bathtub with water. Try to get chargers for your phone or computers that you can plug into your car lighter, and make sure you have gas on hand, that might be in short supply.
Again, common sense rules.
If you can't get out, get as high off the ground as you can. Call an emergency line if you can. And when you're safe, let at least one loved one know so they can pass the information along.
All this to say, folks, I'm still praying that behemoth will take a right turn and stall out in cold water, or cease altogether. I'm praying that God will have mercy on those in its path. But in the event that answer is no, then I will be praying for minimal devastation and loss of life, just as I did here. Please know that the whole Country, and especially the victims of Harvey are watching that monster closely, and praying fervently that it will peter out, and that lives will not be lost.
Please be safe, my Friends. Our prayers are with you.
~L
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