Hurricane Ike Update

First photo--major street and damage.

For all of those who have been asking, we thank you for your concern. My folks were planning to return to TX until Ike started brewing. Then it was a case of wait and see. They chose to stay at their condo here to ride out the storm many, many, many safe miles away from the destruction.

My sister & brother-in-law live about one mile from my parents. BIL had been in Orlando on business for two weeks and they had arranged many weeks ago for my sis to fly to Orlando for a long weekend of R&R at the House of Mouse. Sis managed to get out less than 24 hours before the airports closed. BIL's parents came in from San Antonio and had the dog with them. They were originally to ride out the storm at my sister's, but when Ike changed paths, they high-tailed it back to San Antonio and safety.

Second photo: you've probably seen this one from National Geographic, but it shows the power the storm had. It's a before and after photo of Bolivar Peninsula.

They returned as soon as they could get back into town. My parents lost many limbs and the neighbor's chimney cap was at the bottom of the pool. (Thank you pool guy who came and got the debris out of the pool before the power came back.) Sis & BIL were to fly back Monday, but couldn't get a flight until Thursday. BIL's folks brought a generator with them and saved my folks' wood floors by getting the stuff out of the freezer and moving to the now-generator-powered freezer at sis's house.

Sis lost tree limbs and one was on the garage roof, but not through the roof. Power has been down since the storm. Folk's house got power back on Monday night (yes, that is 9 days later). Sister still has no power. She's moved into the folk's house to keep it secure--yeah, that's it. Can you imagine the heat and humidity of Southern Texas with NO AIR CONDITIONING?!?!? We continue to pray for the state. Houston still has only 1 in 4 homes without power. That's a big city to be 1/4 without power.

The folks are on the trail and heading back home. I hear the cities look like war zones. I'm thankful my family was safe and there was no real damage to their homes.

Here's another reason it's so difficult to get power back for my sister and others. This tree is lying across a power line. Hmm--that doesn't look good to me!