WOW! We had the mother of all storms here on May 8th at about 1:30pm. Seven counties were declared disaster areas by the governor. Storm did city wide damage, with some of the worst in our neighborhood. They are unofficially calling it an "inland hurricane" because the winds were sustaining at over 100 mph! We estimate over $20,000 worth of damage in our home. Our deck was destroyed, basement flooded, and roof damaged by the winds and golf ball sized hail. Linda's firebird was also damaged.
Chris was at daycare at the time and they rode the storm out singing songs in the bathroom. They were great with the kids and kept them calm. Shawn was down in the lower level of the high school trying to keep the kids calm while trees were falling down out side. Bobbie was at Lick Creek which didn't sustain any damage but it did take her quite a while to find a route home. It took Shawn thirty minutes to get home to check on his mother who had made it to the basement before the trees started falling.
We were without power for 7 days and telephone was out for 12 and we still don't have satellite back. Shawn's school was canceled for an entire week. We got a generator which got the sump pump running again and kept one fridge and the deep freeze going. Unfortunately showers were ice cold. Shawn, always the boy scout, got out his camping stove and we were able to eat well. Pancakes, bacon, eggs and coffee for breakfast.
A special thank you goes out to Cecil and Mike McClain, who came up from Arkansas to help us cut down trees and limbs. Insurance didn't pick up much of the tree trimming so it was a huge help!!!
It was a truly unique experience. Candles and flashlights, the hum of the generator outside, and turning to radio for information about what was going on. Our local radio station is owned by a parent company. They broadcast storm coverage simultaneously on all their stations for several days. Many people called in and told their stories, gave advice and asked questions. The communities came together and helped each other out. There was a tinge of remorse as the power did start coming back on and life went back to normal. Don't get me wrong, there was euphoria at the first hot shower but, the sense of community and neighborly compassion was something great to see again. It stirs memories of a day when you could leave your doors unlocked at night... Of course the storm-imposed curfew may have had something to with my sense of security :-)
