I’ve been unable to get online long enough to post updates and pictures of our experience during The Great Ice Storm of 2007. So I’ve been keeping a record of what’s been happening on the laptop to post when internet services were available. Today is Friday and I have high speed internet services at the in-laws available. So here is my story so far.
As of Friday night at 10 p.m.:
The power went out and I spent the night listening to the crashes and gun-shot sounds exploding outside my bedroom window. It was a crazy night. I heard one particular tree falling and looked outside to find the mirror of my neighbor’s new Honda Odyssey van torn to bits.
As of Saturday morning:
I got up and the inspection of the house revealed some damage to the house. My neighbors around me had many more limbs down than I. I was very thankful that we had the dying tree in the backyard cut down last year. We built my kid’s tree house on the stump. No limbs to destroy my home or those around us.
The in-laws are quick thinkers and begin searching for a hotel room with power. Done and done. We packed the bags quickly, fed the cat a hearty potion of food (enough for three days) and loaded the laundry baskets with games, cards, books, and non-perishable foods (peanut butter, fruit, juice, and fig newtons among other things). Our cat is very anxious and would prefer being by himself in his own home than anywhere else. By this time the in-laws had found a different hotel with a heated, indoor pool, complimentary continental breakfast and cable. We headed to the Best Western -- Deerfield Inn at the intersection of Battlefield and Highway 65. Good thing too because the original hotel ended up losing power.
We were nestled between a Country Kitchen and a Steak-and-Shake with a McDonalds and gas station across the street. You would think that every restaurant in town was out of power considering the lines that were at both restaurants. Not that we would normally choose those particular restaurants. But hot food is hot food anyway you get it.
We made the best of it and considering the experiences that so many people in Springfield are going through, I will not complain. We were lucky to find the rooms, and have the money to pay for them. So many were not so lucky, spending the night in one of several shelters set up by the city.
As of Sunday at noon:
After taking my daughter for a morning swim and lunch, I headed to the house to check things out and make sure our kitty is doing okay. I drove up to a great surprise. My yard was full of huge limbs and piles of ice. My car was lucky. Limbs had fallen in front and behind it, barely missing it by inches both directions. Lucky for me that I pulled up closer to the garage door than I usually do.
The backyard is a bigger disaster. In my neighborhood all the utilities are located at the back of the lots. The tree limbs had fallen and ripped down the electrical wires connecting to the house. The weatherhead, (the aluminum pipe on the roof, where the utilities enter the home) is seriously damaged. Two sections of guttering is torn up. It’s quite a site. I will be sure to report how quickly the damaged is repaired and utilities restored.
I dread the storm tonight, as the forecast calls for another inch of ice. I’m not sure our poor community can withstand that, especially with the predicted wind speeds.
My Aunt Bessie has been staying in our room at the hotel. She is 87 and is stubborn. She has been talking about going home and she and I cutting up the trees in her yard. She doesn’t know her own limitations. I am not so fond of electrocution (she has five electrical lines in her yard) and I am afraid that she will fall and break a hip. She is insisting that she go home and mentions this every 10 minutes or so. She is nothing if not persistent. I am quickly tiring of rehashing the same argument. The last thing we need is to have her fall and break something. I have finally taken all I can stand. I called my dad and had him come up and take her back to Branson with him. She can drive them crazy for a while. She is some kind of angry at me.
As of Monday:
We are still in the hotel, only now we have an indoor cold pool and a green hot tub. So swimming has ended and the kiddos are none to happy about it. They would prefer to swim in an ice bath, but I have other ideas.
I called an electrician and got on the list for repairs and they hope to get to it this week. Meanwhile I went the house to get the crock pot. I made chili right before this storm hit and we put it in a plastic container and just set it in the garage, where it has nearly frozen. It’s made my room, and the hallway, smell like chili, but it fed the family and didn’t cost us a dime. We are spending enough on the hotel room.
Aunt Bessie is home calling my next door neighbor, her neighbor and anyone else she can think of to track me down. She’s mad that I sent her down there and has now decided that I don’t care about her or love her. She’s telling the family that I don’t care what happens to her and that I am lazy for not cutting up that wood in her yard. The disaster just keeps on.
As a good boy, I have checked on her house everyday and called to give her an update everyday. I hear tell that my mother refused to put up with that and pointed her finger at Aunt Bessie. You can tell when Mom is serious when she points the finger at you. She’s counted to three and said her piece and hushed Aunt Bessie up. She needed that. At her age, when Aunt Bessie gets upset, she becomes irrational and says things and believes things that are not true. No one really needs that during a disaster. My poor parents. I feel bad for them, but not bad enough to bring her back up here.
My grandmother Jewel (Juju) has a sister who passed away this evening. That has further upset the balance. Aunt Bessie is staying with Juju in Branson. They are two old ladies who get along pretty well.
As of Tuesday:
Power is on at the in-laws home, so we are packing up and leaving the hotel for cheaper accommodations and a stove. We got the air mattress from the house and some clean clothes. Buddy, our cat, was very glad to see us. He’s been snuggled up in a nest that my wife made him to help him keep warm. It’s 37 degrees in the house during the day and that is awful cold. I know he is very lonely without us too. The in-laws graciously offered, sincerely offered, to host the kitty as well. Now Buddy is a great cat, but he has some Autistic tendencies, one of which is change. He does not like change at all. It freaks him out. So we were concerned about taking him to their house, but it is just getting colder. We put him in the cat carrier and listened to him scream all the way to their house. We let him out and he sprung to the desk, lodging himself behind the filing cabinet.
The electrician came today and fixed the weatherhead. Mine was in an easy location and quick to fix. So now I am waiting on city utilities to get the juice flowing. As far as damage, I think the worst is done for now. So far it appears that the damage is not too bad. Although we won’t know until we can have it properly assessed. This is the list of damage as of today:
- Sections of guttering torn down
- Roof damage
- Weatherhead destroyed
- Electrical, telephone and cable lines torn down
- Limbs in the yard, like everyone else
- Shrubs destroyed
- Food in fridge and freezer destroyed
Since we are stuck home and the in-laws are both working, we are the caretakers of the home. We have done dishes, laundry, mopped the floor, run the vacuum, and cooked three squares a day.
Grandma Juju was up all night thinking about her sister. Aunt Bessie stayed up with her, which was very nice. At their age, they both understand loss and pain and I think the company helped Grandma Juju deal with the sorrow. Aunt Bessie being in Branson ended up being a real blessing.
As of Wednesday:
I spent the day running errands and cooking meals. I also talked to electricians about Aunt Bessie’s house and where she was on the list. I talked with her next door neighbor to see how they are doing. No heat, but they are okay. We were able to watch a movie, My Super Ex-Girlfriend. It was a fun, but pretty campy.
As of Thursday:
Limbs continue to fall onto my roof, shrubs and yard. It is amazing how much keeps falling. I can't wait for the tree service to be able to get to it.
The funeral for Aunt Vera (Juju’s sister) is tomorrow in Mountain Grove. They are having graveside services only. I suspect it will be a short service considering the weather conditions. We are supposed to have 3-6 inches of snow coming tomorrow night, so I hope to be back in time for that. Aunt Bessie is going too and she’s convinced my dad to let her go by the house to pick up some items. We caught another movie during the afternoon today. Scary Movie 4 was really funny. We laughed the whole time. I was skeptical as the last movie of this type was Date Movie and it was horrible.
My friend, Gabe, just left the Army after two tours of duty in Iraq. He dropped by the in-laws’ house today while his car was getting repaired. He helped me run my errands and watched the movie with us.
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