Surviving Ike

Hurricane Ike is almost out of here, moving up to the north as I sit here in my house; no electricity and no water in the pipes. Our house came out pretty well with only minor damage to tree limbs and a small spot on the den ceiling where some water figured out a way to seep in.

There are lots of fences down all around, fences that couldn’t withstand hurricane force winds for an extended period. My neighbor Bob, across the street had a huge pine tree topple across the house and smashed into his den. He’d worried about a smaller pine tree that was closer to the house yesterday; contemplated cutting it down prior to the storm’s arrival. That tree did just fine; it was a much older pine that uprooted and destroyed his roof.

Lucy had extra tarp material; Bonnie and I went over to help cover the hole in Bob’s roof along with my other next door neighbor, Russell. Bob had one tarp which he used to cover most of the damage on the top side; standing on a very nice ladder while the rain and wind soaked all of us. We then took the extra tarp and fashioned a funnel of sorts to catch and divert the rest out through the front of the house where the window used to be.

I took pictures with my digital camera(will post later when things get more stable); mostly for his insurance company to show that he’d done as much as he could to minimize damage; but also to use in my blog article to give you an idea of what happened. With all power and services down for who knows how long, I’ll file this away until such time as can accommodate internet use.

Lucy followed the list of instructions down to the last; filled the bath tub with water last night knowing that once the power went out there would be no running water since the pumps that make all that happen would also be out. We can still use the toilet; just have to dip a pitcher into the tub and transfer water in order to flush it.

After getting soaked fixing the roof I “peeled off” in the entry way and left the stack of water logged clothing in a pile. I had to keep reminding Bonnie to stay in her room until this old man could finish that task; her clothing was in a heap as well and we’ll deal with getting them dry later. It’s a good thing I was in the hospital last year and learned how to take a bath with only a bucket of water. There’s not much to say about a sink bath; glad to have a supply of Johnson’s Baby Soap in a bottle left over from my trip to the hospital; that stuff is perfect for an emergency wash.

Lucy has all her Ham radio stuff set up in her car and they held a “net” meeting last night and again this morning to check on everyone in the area. I think they enjoy playing with the radios more than anything else; but eventually those radios will come in handy.