Ike

Our son has been living in Galveston, TX. for about 6 weeks now. A couple of weeks ago, Hurricane Gustav headed toward Galveston as a category 5. A couple of days before it was set to arrive, he packed up his dog, and the possessions he held dear (his books) and headed to Houston, where he spent the weekend with his sister and her husband. Fortunately, by the time the hurricane hit land, it downgraded to a category 1.

A few days ago, a short two weeks later, Hurricane Ike barreled to the coast of Galveston, a category 2, but one m.p.h. short of being a 3. Once again, he packed up to head to Houston. He got out of Galveston hours before the mandatory evacuation began, and has been in Houston for several days now. Unfortunately, the storm has now made its way north from Galveston, and now my daughter, her husband, son, and my son are without power in Houston.


So now my husband and I sit in the den, each with a laptop and a cell phone, glued to the TV for two days, watching the weather channel, while simultaneously surfing the internet and texting to our kids. Cut off from the world, they have many questions, not the least of which is how long they will be without power. My son is anxious about: the state of his apartment and all his possessions, not knowing when school will resume, and whether he will be able or even should come to Dallas. I'm checking his email for him, as well as monitoring the school's website for news.

I can't help but wonder about the Galveston Hurricane that hit on September 8, 1900 as a category 4. To date, it is the deadliest natural disaster in U. S. history, with approximately 8000 deaths reported. That was before the weather forecast, or the emergency broadcast system. Of course, italso pre-dates radio, television, cell phones, texting, internet, and email. The residents of Galveston were completely blind-sided. They didn't know to prepare for the storm, nor did they know to evacuate.

So I feel blessed to live in a time when there are so many ways to be connected to those I love. Of course, the mother hen in me would much prefer to have all the chicks in the nest...............l