GREETINGS!  It’s hot as usual, but slightly cooler & wetter than usual, thanks to the approaching Hurricane Irene.  We definitely were suffering from HURRICANE ANXIETY on Monday.  Why? You might ask. . . It’s because we lived in the Charleston, South Carolina area on 09/21/1989 when the dreaded Hurricane HUGO decided to stop by.  The idea of reliving that is cause for the eyes to open wide in horror, gnashing of teeth, and the desire to curl up in the fetal position.

My husband was a news anchor at the time, and the weatherman told us several days in advance that the storm was being directed straight to us.  I made plans to evacuate with the children on Monday.  I began duct taping the windows with large X’s, bringing everything that might blow away from the yard into the garage, and then packing for the kids & dogs.  The neighbors thought I was rather pessimistic, until they heard the news on Tuesday night.  Wednesday the duct tape X’s covered the neighborhood.  (Check NOAA or our local utility JEA for tips on what to do.)

                                  
 
HUGO was scheduled to hit Thursday at midnight, so we left Thursday morning, but the traffic was already horrible all along the interstate closest to Charleston.  They even made all the lanes northbound to accommodate the thousands fleeing the storm.  Once we reached Columbia and turned west toward Atlanta, traffic disappeared.  Guess they were heading north.

It was a CAT 4 and 3’ of salt water & muck came into our garage & ruined everything in it.  Then it rained for several days and 27 of our pine trees snapped & poked large holes in the roof.  The drywall ceiling of the garage got so wet, it splatted onto the floor, adding to the mess.  Window seals were broken, water came in under the french doors & ruined the wood floors.  We found several fish, a dead pelican & lots of debris from other houses in the yard.  Over all, though we survived pretty well.  It was the worst storm in US history at that point.  

                          our garage 

My husband had to stay & cover the news.  He was inland at the official the hurricane control center when the roof started to rip off.  He said it was like a nightmare where a giant was jumping up & down on the roof and then trying to peel it off the roof to grab everyone inside.  The officials & new crews quickly evacuated to a building across the street during the eye of the storm.  When the stormed passed by, they were amazed at the damage & devastation everywhere. 

                                              our street
 
Meanwhile, we watched from Atlanta.  They had excellent coverage because they send reporters to Savannah, Charleston & Hilton Head to be sure to catch the destruction. Many people lost their homes.  We stayed away for two weeks.  When we returned blue tarps covered almost every roof and the sound a chain saws filled the air as the clean up began. Debris was everywhere.  Trash on the street was piled 5’ high. It lasted for months.
   
               stacks of pine stacks of debris
                        
It was an overwhelming sight.  The enormity and strength of HUGO, with so much of the damage caused by the 18' storm surge was amazing.  My Dad came back with us and added the rumble of his chainsaw to the chorus.  Shortly after we first returned, the phone rang---call was from my dentist, of course, to reschedule my appointment.  The next call was from my son’s football coach---who wanted to keep his winning team of 9 year olds in good shape until the games could resume. Eventually, it was all cleaned up & life was close to normal.  We were changed.  The word hurricane became something to genuinely fear.  I never want to go through that again.  And, I pray to God I never will.
                             

PHOTOTIP:  Take pictures of your home, inside & out, well before an impending disaster.
Day time is best.  Use a flash as needed.  Create an inventory with the models & serial numbers of your most valuable items.  Take it with you or have a relative keep a copy. Makes sure you take your insurance policies.  Take pictures afterwards, too, for insurance claims.
Put your best images onto a portable hard drive or regularly upload them to a “cloud.”
Things that have been covered with water, muck & debris can be quite hard to recognize.
       
 
BLESSINGS!
Mark 4:39

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