Ike was no joke!

Posted on | September 18, 2008 |

Honestly, I was *kidding* about weathering this storm with duct tape, Can records and Twinkies. In fact, my family was well stocked with food, water and gas. We had planned on sitting tight and waiting out the storm and aftermath at our home. Apparently Ike was *not* in the mood for jokes.

My wife, daughter and I decided to spend Saturday night in the front bedroom of the house. We reasoned that it would be safest spot, given the layout of our trees and the wind direction reports we heard on the news. We could not have been more wrong!

Treefingers in my bedroom

We were awakened at 3:30 AM by a noise that sounded like a freight train barreling through the house. It was pitch black in the room, my mouth and lungs were full of dirt, and it took me a few minutes to quell the panic, get my bearings, find the flashlight and figure out what was going on. Water was pouring into the room and there were several large branches protruding through the ceiling. One long branch touched the floor right by one side of the bed, another was hanging like the Sword of Damocles less than 3 feet directly above the spot where my daughter had been sleeping only a few moments before. There were plenty of hugs all around and a few tears before we decided on our next move.

The wind was howling like a banshee outside the house and it was pitch black everywhere, so we scrapped the idea of heading to the neighbor’s house to seek refuge. Unable to see outside and unsure of the extent of damage to the roof, we decided to build a fort in one corner of living room, right beside the thickest wall juncture in the house. We spent four uncomfortable hours in a tiny cramped space, protected by one very large piece of heavy furniture and a pretty pathetic selection of thick couch cushions, telling ourselves and each other that everything was going to be fine.

What we found the next morning

When light started peeking through the windows and the wind began to subside, we made our way around the house to investigate. One look through the back window confirmed that not only had we misjudged the best spot to spend the night, we had grossly misunderstood what had happened to the house. A huge pine tree from our backyard had fallen on the far corner, the upper branches tearing numerous holes in the roof across the bedroom and hallway.

All things considered, we have many things for which to be thankful. No one was hurt and we have insurance, so the house will be repaired in due time. Thanks to my in-laws, we have a comfortable place to stay while we sort out our situation and civilization reboots here in Houston. Our daughter seems to have bounced back from the trauma in no time and is spending her days showing her Nana how to play Wii and dance like a star. The break in routine combined with a very close call has given me an opportunity to do a some re-evaluation and take a hard look at my priorities and habits.

On the music side of things, none of my light or sound gear was damaged (it was all safe and sound in a storage unit). I found out today that the Museum District Day event has been rescheduled, so I’ll post more information about it when I find out the new date. I’m not sure whether or not Catwalk for a Cure or The Kitchen will proceed as planned weekend after next; I should know more in a day or two.

Comments