On Saturday, September 13th, we were anticipating Hurricane Ike to become a tropical depression and head to St Louis. I could feel it coming. The air was still, heavy, warm, sultry. I had been checking on my friend in Texas who was in the direct path of the storm after it came ashore. And, my cousin and family in Little Rock was smacked by their rude visitor that caused death, damage to crops, and sparked gas hikes.
Old Ike blew through St Louis with 40-50 mph winds and heavy rains (4-5 inches where we live). There were flash floods in many areas that just couldn't handle the rains, the ground already saturated with previous rains and flooding. This has been the wettest year on record for Missouri. The sewers flooded, roads washed out, devastation all along the rivers that crested above flood stage and some still rising. Three lives were lost in the flash floods and one woman killed when a tree fell on her.
Last night I told Him what had been on my mind for several days. We are very lucky. Other than a few small, dead branches blown off some old trees in our yard and a slushy yard, we were unaffected. We didn't lose power. Our streets didn't flood. Our basement remained dry when others in the neighborhood suffered backed-up sewers.
We've all heard about and have seen photos/videos of the aftermath of "Ike." It seems there are natural disaster around us, world-over, everyday. And, I have to say I feel very lucky.
Some of our favorite people came to visit us last Sunday. We had a nice lunch and caught up on things. Though not nearly as long as we wished, it was good to see and spend at least a few hours with our former neighbors and friends.
Babers really like the icing on the cakes. Yummmmmmm.
