The Real Deal

I haven't written anything about Ike, mostly because I was in denial and tired of getting worked up every time something was heading our way. I just found out it's actually called "Hurricane fatigue". I was sick to death of hearing about hurricanes...but now I can honestly say that I'm really scared of this one. Apparently this is the real deal and we are in real danger now. Ike is a huge monster and is supposed to hit Friday. They're expecting a Cat. 3 at landfall, I've heard rumor that it could possibly turn into a Cat. 4...but I don't know if that's just weather forecasters getting a little too excited with too much coffee and not enough sleep. We're supposed to get winds from 80-110 mph here where we live. I can't even imagine what that will be like...well, maybe I can. I can imagine it won't be much fun. The stores are packed, there are gas lines everywhere, and there is definitely a feeling of tension in the air, and this time it isn't exciting...not even for me!

The city officials are talking about evacuations right now. They're kind of stressed because the storm was supposed to hit further south and not affect us as much. But then it shifted northeast and they don't have all the time they need to evacuate the cost. They are asking people in Houston to not evacuate if we don't absolutely need to because the highways are packed and they don't want people to be stuck on the roads in traffic jams when the hurricane hits. After Rita it took people like 30 hours just to make the 5 hour trip to Dallas. People ran out of gas and were stranded on the highways in the heat. It was an absolute mess! This time they will open counter-flow lanes and have supplied gas stations with back-up fuel resources, so hopefully things won't be as chaotic this time for the evacuees. As for us, we're staying put so the people who really need to get out can get out. We've tried to become as prepared as we can, so hopefully things will go okay.

Whitney is pretty nervous, so I worry about how she'll do when the hurricane hits and the winds start howling. Last night she prayed that Heavenly Father would catch her if the hurricane blew her away...poor kid. It breaks my heart that she really thinks those thoughts in that sweet little head of hers. So, please keep us and all of the people here in your prayers. I'll keep you all updated as long as we have power!