Everyone safe from Irene?

[joandsarah]

I see quite a few posts on LJ from people directly in its path, bunking down with candles, drinking water etc just in case. Hope everyone here is safe. If you are in its path, take care and let us know how things are –if you can.

[amylu1988]

I second that, hope you're all safe and well. *hugs* Let us know how you all are. x

[joandsarah]

Reporting from my LJ Flist. Silverbelle says it's been downgraded to a tropical storm and she still has power. Regecylady/Cait said yesterday that her and her husband had a mandatory evacuation and Rosefyre says she is okay, but bunkered down.

[Maximum Slide]

Yeah.. My town had gotten hit with it pretty bad. My uncles house is destroyed along with other people's houses on his street. We had bought tons of canned food and water. My river flooded and had gotten my living room flooded. Had to evacuate to a family friend's house for the night. We watched some movies as an entire family... The night wasn't bad... But the aftermath kinda sucked. Went back the next morning with our lawn destroyed and the bridge that helped us be able to cross our river was whisked away. Our road had collapsed, redirecting the water around our house instead of under... If that hadn't happened we wouldn't have a house. When we had evacuated that night, the water was a foot deep. Our poor animals were traumatized.
A lot of people in my town are homeless and my dad and I had gone out for three days to help people clean out their houses... If their house was still standing. It's amazing how after such a tragedy, there is still a blessing mixed in with it all. Who knew our town was so kind, caring, and helpful. The town restaurants cooked up free meals for those who had lost everything.
My power had been out for five days. Had to take showers from friends who offered their homes to us. Even my dad's boss offered their living basement to us until out power came back on... Their basement is so awesome! Flat screened TV, a large couch, some chairs, a mini fridge filled with soda and snacks, and two bedrooms. I wanted to stay... Dad didn't want to take advantage so we didn't get to stay. But we had survived our powerless days although it was completely annoying.




This picture is a closeup to where our bridge used to be. This is the third time a storm had broken it down... We are gonna build it a fourth time this coming spring >.<

This is my backyard when it was only beginning to get flooded. The whole yard was underwater during the night. I didn't see that, but my dad and my friend's dad did when they were bringing important stuff to the house we evacuated to so they wouldn't get wet.
Never had my river broke the banks. We had so many storms... And never had the river flooded... The people we bought the house from said it was a no flooding zone.. We shouldn't worry about it... Our neighbors bought flooding insurance two nights after Tropical Storm Irene.

I heard angels singing when I could finally flush my toilet again though...

[jillyson]

I'm glad things are on the upswing for you, Blue. That was some scary stuff. Where I live, we are too far inland to have this happen, but our old house did flood with the heavy rains sometimes. (We were in a no flood zone, too. Who decides this stuff?)

Anyway, it's great how the town came together like that, and awesome that ou and your dad helped out like you did. You're right about a tragedy like this somehow bringing out the best in people. Glad you're safe!

[Maximum Slide]

Thanks, Jillyson!
It was a pretty intense week for the whole town. School was put off until the next week because that's where more than half the town evacuated to... Plus one tiny wing of the school had gotten flooded because the jerks who were rebuilding the roof up there didn't think to cover the wing up... They thought they can "put it off" until the next day.

Then Tropical Storm Irene hit and that was the end of that.

The storm taught me new found respect for this little town. It still amazes me today.
The lightning during the storm was pretty intense too... But so beautiful. My friend and I that night stayed up while the parents were settling down to bed watching it flash.

I'm glad it wasn't as bad as people thought it would be. Honestly, I was annoyed that people were getting so worked up about it. Then, I was glad that we all assumed the worst and loaded on food and water.