Irma, a force that was not to be ignored. She has driven many Floridians into a state of despair and homelessness. I don’t think anyone living in Florida did not feel the effects of her fury.
I currently reside here. I am a native of the state and I and my family felt the long arm of her reach but not as much as many others. Situations of this magnitude bring with it a ton of emotional responses.
Through the course of a dramatic week before she hit I personally witnessed those emotions on so many different levels. It was an act of Nature that set thousands into a scramble at the very idea she was headed our way. Preparations were underway causing tempers to flair, fear and selfishness and chaos everywhere as people by the hundreds flooded the market places in search of food, water, and supplies.
The long wait for her to come onshore seemed like forever as the entire state waited and wondered where and who would be hit the hardest.
I sat on my bed and prayed that God would cover His grace around all. I watched out my window at trees snapping, limbs falling, debris flying through the air and the most incredible show of all was the display of huge flashes of light across the dark night. My bedroom is on the second story of the home I live in. I can see pretty far off in the distance. I saw a transformer after transformer blow one after another causing such a bright show of lights, the results were the loss of power, home after home.
Trees were uprooted and power lines were torn down causing havoc on an already saturated wet ground from previous weeks of rainfall.
My home was safe. No flooding like many other people has endured. Many losing everything they owned. After the storm, I drove up and down some of the roads in the town I live and found sights unbelievable, to say the least. What a mess. But thank God we are alive.
I experienced a week without power or water. We had water to drink but living in the country we have well water and without electricity, the pump will not work. A small generator provided just enough juice for a couple of fans, kept the refrigerator running and a few lights but nothing more.
Such a humbling few hours. Emotions beyond description but something I hope I never lose and that others never do either. Why?
Because what I see now are people helping people. Lending a helping hand and offering all the support they can give. The help needed is far from over but everywhere I turn I see people putting aside all their own personal problems and stepping out of their comfort zones to make life bearable again for those that have been greatly impacted by this storm. All along the way, these individuals are planting little seeds ahead of individuals that will help them survive this Act of Nature.
But, at the same time, they are planting seeds for their own future.
~DK