Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Hurricane Ike, Yikes!!!!

Sorry it has been so long since we have been able to blog.



THE STORM
We rode out the storm at my Michael's house. The power went out at 12:15AM on Saturday morning. The wind was unbelievable. It sounded like a thousand demons screeching outside. Things kept going 'thump' against the house. It was very hard to sleep even with very little sleep the night before and sleeping pills. We got up around 6am Saturday morning to a big thud. His house was hit very hard. Three trees fell on it. Two huge ones trapped the cars in his garage and one huge one leaned over onto it and punched a hole in the side and top of the roof and rain was leaking into the house. Another tree fell into the pool in the back yard and completely filled it.


THE DAYS AFTER

We spent Saturday and Sunday at Michael's with Selena getting sicker with no air conditioning. About 5 million people were without power with an estimation of up to 4 weeks for full restoration. I called Selena's brother Steve on Saturday to come get Mum and take her back to Austin so she could fly back to Tampa, Florida on Monday, Sept 15 and I called my sister Lori on Saturday to ask if her husband Paul, could come and get me, Selena and our two bunnies. He got there about 4pm and took us about 250 North of Houston to a small town where I grew up called Mineola, Texas. My parents and my sister and her family live there. We got to my parent's house at 1030pm Sunday night. We spent Monday, September 15 at the American Red Cross Shelter in Mineola getting some clothes because we didn't pack very many. We also went to WalMart to get some food for Selena and the Bunnies. This evacuation has been hard on all of us but especially Selena and Coinin. Coinin has had a really upset tummy for days with really yucky 'skunky' diarrhea. Bet ya'll didn't know that bunnies have skunk glands! Selena hasn't been skunky but she's been really tired.... ;)



GALVESTON, OH GALVESTON
If you have been watching the news, Galveston was devastated. It will be weeks or maybe even more than a month before they will let people back onto the island. The mayor said it could even be longer than that before power, gas and water is restored. We are in limbo.

We live in a Storm Survivor house. This means that it survived the Great Storm of 1900 which to this day is the worst natural disaster to ever hit the United States. Between 8,000-12,000 people died on Sept 8, 1900 in a Category 4 Hurricane that almost wiped Galveston off the face of the earth. If our house survived that we felt pretty good about it being alright until we read in the Galveston Daily News that The East End Historical District where we live was hit very hard with most houses taking in 2-4 feet of water. If that is true then that means that there was 10-12 feet of water on the street. My house is built on 8 foot piers. I am sure the house is still standing just fine, but if it took in that much water, everything we own is going to be ruined. Oh well, it is just stuff. I did get all my photos and the title to my house, my insurance papers and my Macintosh with all my recent digital photos and music. I will miss my collection of Broadway CD recordings that I have collected over the last 20 years. I have about 1000. Maybe I can at least wash the discs off and rip them into my computer. If the water was that high the entire house will have to be gutted because the sheet rock will have 'wicked' the water all the way to ceiling and also started to mildew the wood. I sure am glad we left. There was never any doubt we would, but still, I thank God I am not there now with Selena. She is feeling pretty fatigued right now. Way too much stress. By the way, I am feeling pretty fatigued too...



SELENA COMES FIRST
Today, Tuesday, September 16 I spent the morning on the phone with the three hospital systems in Tyler, Tx that have oncology divisions to see if any of them would be able to take Selena as a patient. Tyler is the closest 'big' city near us. I got one of them to take her without a consult/referral from her oncologist in Galveston. This is great considering I can't reach Dr. Markowitz. UTMB is in lock-down mode and it is not possible to page her doctor. We have an appointment with an oncologist this Thursday at 3pm. Hopefully they will take her and continue her treatment so she does not get behind.

MEMBER OF THE WEDDING

Other big news is that we are preparing for my little brother Matthew's wedding on Saturday! We had planned to come, but not this early.

That's all for now.

Qua'nisha still has a couple of videos she wants me to post.

5 comments:

Joel David said...

Hey,
Y'all are in my thoughts. Time enough to worry about the house and it's things when you get back. I do so hope it's alright though.
I was going to say, "when it rains . . . ' but felt it would be in poor taste under the circumstances.
Take good care. Love you both.
J-

Cristen Susong said...

Chris and Selena,
We are so glad you are safe. Let us know what you need when you get back to Glaveston. Scott says to say hi to Tyler for him and if you need any CD's to burn he can send you whatever you need.
With all our love
Scott and Cristen

Mary Roy said...

AIR SHATTERS IN THE
CAR'S SMALL ROOM

Distracting myself
on the recliner between
Jane's hospital bed
and window, in this blue
room where we endure,
I set syllables
into prosy lines.
William Butler Yeats
denounced with passion
"the poetry of
passive suffering."
Friends and strangers
write letters speaking
of courage or strength.
What else could we do
except what we do?
Should we weep lying
flat? We do. Sometimes,
driving the Honda
with its windows closed
in beginning autumn
from the low motel
to Jane's bed, I scream
and keep on screaming.

-Donald Hall

Cheryl Mae said...

Thinking about you everyday. Like you said, "it's just stuff". I know...memories and all, but your safety and health means more to me than "stuff".
Hang in there...tell me if you need ANYTHING. I have "stuff" too.
We are all thinking about you here in EP.
xoxox
Cheryl Mae

Mary Roy said...

Come baaaaaaaack!