August 28 – “Epic Catastrophic”

You know … I started blogging back when Hurricane Ike had us all evacuated for three weeks, and we needed a way to stay in touch.  Here we are in the throes of another great storm – another flood maker.  Does this mean I need to stop blogging now?  I’ll have to ponder that one after the event is finished.  And it is by no means over yet.  The Weather Channel – and every other channel, for that matter – has finally outdone themselves.  They have come up with the superlative version of “catastrophic.”  Bet you didn’t know there was anything worse than that, did you?  Actually, I think what they came up with would probably be categorized as somewhere between “regular catastrophic” and “catastrophic of biblical proportions.”  The new term?  “Epic Catastrophic.” 

I just saw the forecast for the next few days.  The eye of still-Tropical Storm Harvey has started to move again.  Southeast.  That’s right.  It is heading back toward the Gulf of Mexico to get some more sustenance.  It should move off the coast this morning and stay off until sometime Tuesday.  Depending on how far off it gets and how long it stays over water will determine the level of re-strengthening.  Then it is expected to make a return visit onto shore – right over Galveston (or maybe just south of us, which would be worse).  At the very least we are expecting 15 to 25 more inches of rain and a storm surge of at least 1-3 feet.  Looks like we are in this thing until at least the end of the week.  And then the aftermath begins …

Now to the more immediate issues at hand.  We woke yesterday to lots of people trapped in their homes by severe flooding in the mainland areas just north of the island.  Places like Dickinson and League City were inundated with torrential downpours, and the bayous and lakes and rivers couldn’t hold it all.  As the water rose during the night people were forced to wait for rescue on the roofs of their homes.  Coast Guard helicopters were called in to help.  A massive social media call went out for anyone with a flat-bottomed boat – and then any boat – to come to a point on the Gulf Freeway and help with the evacuation.  And when rescue was made, the boat drop-off point was just a high place on the freeway.  The Carnes funeral home/limousine company in Galveston sent its bus up to bring people to the Island to safety.  Now that sounds all backwards-y weird, doesn’t it?  We haven’t been hit that hard this time, so Galveston residents are gearing up to do all we can to help.  Three shelters were hastily set up here on the Island.  All three were stocked and ready within mere hours.  They are still receiving donations of just about everything.  If you can help, take what you have to Marios’s on 61^st Street.  They are cooking and delivering for the evacuee centers.  Seaside’s retreat center is on the list as a backup place of refuge as well, but officials were trying to keep people as centrally located as possible so donations could more easily be distributed.  The only problem is … there are not many supplies left on the island, and trucks to restock the shelves can’t get here.  Kroger was the only store still open, and it was packed with people.  Many were still stocking up for their own supplies.  Many were buying things to donate.  Some things like bread were non-existent.  There seemed to be plenty of water, though. 

About 4:30 or 5 p.m. our day leapt from watching the rain and wind and the grass grow to full-on diving in.  We went over to the center on 61^st street and picked up a Seaside family that we knew who had been rescued from their rooftop in Dickinson – the Boyer’s.  Truly one of those responses to the admonition, “Don’t do nothing because you can’t do everything.  Do what you can do.”  We couldn’t help everyone, but we can help one family.  We are not sure how long they will be with us, but we’ll share what we do have. 

April and Chris were texting late last night about a relief effort on a little bigger scale.  I saw mention of care packages and even furniture donations.  They are supposed to touch base later today to figure something out.  Kel reported that mail service for the region has been suspended for about a week.  At least he’ll get to spend some time with his family.  Nathan goes on shift today and may have to stay for the duration of the event.  April was supposed to go back today as well, but she got a bit of a reprieve.  The ER staff understands the life of a firefighter wife, so they are letting her stay home with Cailyn … for the time being.  Josh says they have had a few sprinkles up in Waco.  Sigh …

I think I’ll stick with this scripture … 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Father, be with the thousands who are in the throes of the flood.  Watch over the first responders on duty.  Give strength to those in the refugee centers, and we could use one of your food miracles to keep them all fed.  Amen.