Not Done Yet

Ok, so I really really hoped that I was done with Ike.  But Ike isn’t done with us yet.  Not by a long shot.  

Partner’s parents, northwest of Houston a couple of hours, experienced Category 1 winds and buckets of rain.  They’re fine.  Their house is fine.  They are among the lucky ones.  

They have been without electricity since early yesterday morning.  Their power company says it’ll be somewhere between five days and two weeks (weeks!) until their power is restored.  Besides lacking the obvious luxuries like fridge and air conditioning, the pump on their well is electric, as is the overflow on their septic tank.  So the less obvious luxuries of bathing and flushing are out for a while.  They can cook on a gas stove, but have no way to keep food very cold.  The local town does have electricity, and the roads are clear and stores and restaurants are open and functional.  We have nonetheless encouraged them to come stay with us for a while.  

Granddad works in the insurance industry, and will likely be busy for the next few… well, for a while.  

On a psychological front, I can’t let go of Ike yet.  I feel compelled to watch as the damage and casualties emerge, knowing full well that one of those splintered homes could have been mine but for a late curve to the north.  I feel compelled to grieve with those who have lost their homes, who may have lost neighbors and loved ones.

I am fine, and lucky, and I know that this second-hand grief will pass.  It will pass for me much more quickly than for those in Houston and Galveston and elsewhere in east Texas and Louisiana.  

I want you to do something for me.  Hug someone you love.  Call a friend you haven’t seen for a while.  Count your blessings.  Do something to help someone.