All Is Well

We are so relieved that Ernesto has weakened significantly over South Florida. We have experienced some wind and rain, but nothing compared to what they were originally anticipating. Technically, the storm is still passing through, but we are experiencing a break in weather right now. Conditions are so mild, that Jonathan just left for work, and I was contemplating a walk. The weather reports do, however, show that there will be several more rain (and wind) bands passing through our area until late afternoon. All in all, we are very grateful!!! I would always rather spend time and money preparing for a storm and have it fizzle, than be hit hard like we have been several times over the last two years. Thank you for your prayers!

Ernesto

Well, here we go again. I've about had my fill of living in South Florida. Tropical Storm (or hurricane--take your pick the weather people can't decide) Ernesto is headed our way. We've bought our water, gas, batteries, and food. Now, I am just cleaning the house and finishing laundry in preparation for the inevitable power outage. You can look at our house wrong and the power goes out, so I anticipate some period of power outage-- hopefully less than the standard 5 days we've experienced in hurricanes past. The current path takes the storm right over Clewiston, so our prayer is that it will continue to weaken or not strengthen beyond a tropical storm. The lake levels are low (which is very good), and the storm took a beating over Cuba, their only concern right now is that the storm will strengthen over the warm water as it approaches South Florida. Regardless, they don't expect the storm to strengthen beyond a "Category 1" hurricane. If you've ever experienced any form of tropical storm or hurricane, however, you know how much damage even the weaker winds can cause. The good news is, almost a year later (after Wilma), we finally have new sophets on our house. They finished the work last week. So, we have new sophets and a new roof. Hopefully they will weather the storm!!!

Thanks Hurricane Wilma

Well, the ramifications of Wilma keep surfacing. We have moisture in the wall, behind the stove where the water ran down the walls during the storm. We also have water damage on the ceiling in the dining area of the kitchen. So, the contractor that the church hired for the church, Krisy and Tim's home, and our home brought in two huge dehumidifiers and air movers (fans). They are soooo loud that I can't hear Hannah talking (and she is loud). The cords run all the way into the kitchen, and the water hoses for the two dehumidifiers run all the way into my sink, where they are wrapped around the faucet. The good news is, we are getting a whole new roof, maybe a new stove top, our fence repaired, and our house has not been condemned. The bad news . . . I may have to live with these enormous things in my house for 10 days.


RUN . . . it's the invasion of the dehumidifiers!


Are you kidding me?

The Cable Is Back On!!!

Yes!!! The cable is finally back on. We have been without since Wilma. I could care less about not having TV, but I have been going nuts without internet access. I just got caught up on all of my daily blog reading, and I am looking forward to getting caught up on my own posts throughout the day.

We Have Power!!!

Woohoo!!! Our power came back on late Saturday afternoon, just as I was in the middle of running back and forth between Krisy's house and mine, attempting to do laundry. I was beyond excited. I am a huge fan of electricity, technology, and all forms of modern conveniences.

Thank you to those of you who were praying for us during this difficult time. We truly felt God's hand on us - - even in the midst of the storm. We feel very blessed to have suffered as little damage as we did. We are happily moving toward normalcy. I have the yard cleaned up, and Jonathan is back in the office. This week our church will resume normal scheduling.

This is one of the huge trees that was blown down during Wilma. It was brought to Clewiston in the 30's when sugar people were scouting out varieties of sugar cane to harvest here in South Florida. Unfortunately, our friend Bob (President of US Sugar) has told us that it will not be restored. They are taking down all of the big trees that once graced the entrance to the US Sugar offices.

Hello World!

It feels so good to be blogging!!! We are still without power, but the church has power. So, I rushed over here to check my e-mail and view pictures of my friend Elizabeth's new baby boy, James. I have been living vicariously through my sister Katie for the last few days, and I am very thankful for her willingness to post an updated entry to my blog.

Well, Wilma was a little stronger than we anticipated!!! We were in the outer eye wall, meaning we did not receive a respite from the storm. The eye missed us. It seemed as though it would never subside. Halfway through the storm our shutters flew off of the sliding glass doors, so we ended up with quite a view. Jonathan held the doors for what seemed like hours . . . we really weren't sure they would hold. The sliding glass doors leaked, and we experienced leaking behind our kitchen cabinets. Yes, the cabinets we just refinished. Water was steadily streaming from behind the top cabinets. We'll have to wait until an inspector comes to find out if anything must be done. We lost a lot of our shingles, but our roof remained in tact, and we lost a lot of our metal sophets (sp?) underneath the roof. We watched helplessly as our neighbors tree fell on our fence, but we were praising the Lord that it missed both houses. All in all, we actually faired well. Mobile homes were turned over and we have neighbors that lost their roofs or parts of their houses. We are very thankful!

The last few days have been interesting. At night I feel like a pioneer woman. . . cooking over the grill, heating water over the grill, and washing dishes in cold water by candle light. But, in the daytime, when I am not cleaning up debris or being a mommy, I have been able to sit down and read during Hannah's naps . . . almost like a vacation. Our church partnered with the Alabama State Southern Baptist Convention and the Red Cross and has been running a hot meal and supplies ministry. So, Jonathan and Tim have been very busy ever since the storm, serving as coordinator and "go betweens" on a local level. Jonathan has even seen the inside of the EOC headquarters!

We were finally able to take warm showers last night, as Krisy and Tim's power was restored yesterday evening. We are hoping that ours will be back on soon too! I have uploaded a few pictures from the storm.

The calm before the storm.


In the midst of the storm.


Our side yard.


Mommy and Hannah survey the damage.


Tree on our fence.


Serving the community food.


Hannah visits the food distribution site-notice the boo boo on her nose.

Wilma Update

This blog entry is being posted by Lori's sister Katie. Lori wants everyone to know that they are okay. Clewiston got hit harder than expected. They are of course without power and could be for up to 2 weeks. There was some damage to their home-a tree fell on their fence, lots of shingles off their roof and therefore some water damage. Because they don't have power, they are trying to save their cell phone batteries so it could be a little while before phone calls are returned. Lori or I will continue to keep you updated. Please keep the Brooks family and everyone else affected by the storm in your prayers.

Countdown To Wilma

Well, we continue making preparations for Wilma. After church, Jonathan and Tim went around town, helping church members board up their homes. I spent the afternoon collecting our framed photographs, scrapbooks, photo albums, and important documents and putting them into plastic tubs for safe keeping. I've ironed our clothes for the week and set up Hannah's Pack 'N Play in our bedroom. There's not much more you can do. Whatever the outcome, we know that God is in control.

Last year during the very active hurricane season that sent several major storms across Florida, we did experience some damage, but the damage and inconveniences were minor in light of the recent Katrina fiasco. During Frances, one of our pine trees in the backyard fell, taking out our electricity, cable, and phone lines. Because the tree uprooted as well, it burst our water main. So, five days later, and long after our neighbors were enjoying electricity, we were still calling Clewiston Utilities on the hour. We faired well during Jeanne only having to clean up debris and roof shingles. One thing is for sure, I am thrilled that I am not 9 months pregnant this time around!!!

Waiting For Wilma

The "hurry up and wait" game has become a regular part of our lives during hurricane season here in South Florida. We have been speculating, planning, and waiting to make preparations for Wilma based on the track updates. When you live in South Florida (or anywhere on the Florida peninsula) you quickly get acclimated to the big bulls eye that hovers over Florida taunting each tropical wave or depression that forms during hurricane season. We are always in the "cone of error" and always wondering where and when it will really hit. They are still saying, however, that Wilma is heading our way. So, we can expect tropical storm force winds Sunday night, and the hurricane will move through, bringing stronger winds, on Monday. We are not in an evacuation zone, and because the storm is expected to be a category 3 or less, we will be staying home.

In light of the impending hurricane, we had our traditional hurricane get together with the Bridges last night. I fixed dinner and apple pie, and Tim, Krisy, and Delaney joined us for some pre-storm; get rid of the refrigerated food; enjoy the power before it goes out fun and fellowship. Hannah and Delaney had fun playing together, and even decided to boogie down.

Today, Tim and Jonathan boarded up our houses, while I mowed our lawn, cleaned, and got caught up on laundry. I have been trying to stay on top of the dishes and laundry, because it is inevitable that our power will go out. If you cough our power goes out.

Please pray for our family as we hunker down Sunday night and Monday.

Hannah and Delaney dancing.




Hannah watches Pastor Tim board up the sliding glass doors.


Jonathan and Tim boarding up.

Unscathed

Well, Tropical Storm/Hurricane Katrina has come and gone, for now. Fortunately, we did not see very much action from the storm. It was a little bit windy and we had rain showers all day yesterday, but we didn't even have any violent thunder storms. We thank God that we were so fortunate this time, and we pray for those who have experienced the loss of loved ones and property damage as a result of the storm.

Tropical Storm Katrina

Well. . .here we go again. As you may or may not know, Tropical Storm Katrina (expected to be a category 1 hurricane when it makes land fall) is headed for the coast of South Florida. Jonathan and I spent his lunch hour discussing our not so fond memories of last years hurricane season, when we were threatened by five named storms and hit by three. I was in my last trimester of pregnancy, so I was very large, unable to help with preparations or clean up, and quite grouchy as we waited for our power to be restored (one week the first time and three days the second time). I had to run to Walmart today for dog food and a few things we were out of, and it was a mad house. You would have thought that a category 5 storm was on its way. . . I guess everyone is just being cautious after last year. We had planned on taking our family vacation this weekend at the beach, however, our accommodations were not available for this weekend. I was disappointed at the beginning of the week. Now I am rejoicing in God's sovereignty. . .He knows better than us. But this is no surprise, He "counts the stars and He calls them all by name," "He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes;. . .He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow" (Psalm 147:4,16, & 18) and "even the winds and the sea obey Him." (Matthew 8:27)