After the Storm

Last Friday night, the wind came through my neighborhood with wreckless abandon. We lost power about 10:45 p.m. Hearing that wind was the only warning we received as all of the emergency broadcasts were predicting high winds in areas 75 miles to the west of us. I understand the wind reached 60-75 mph and more in No. Virginia. We are about 8 miles south of Reagan International Airport. So we experienced everything they did.

We have a heavily wooded area behind our house and the neighbors lose a tree during every storm. The oaks here were probably planted in the days of George Washington. They measure 5 feet in diameter or more. But it was the smaller trees that snapped in that wind. The mature trees shed much of their dead branches, but no trunks pulled out of the ground. We are sooooooo thankful those trees are still standing.

Unfortunately, other trees in the neighborhood did not fare as well. We went out to get coffee early Saturday morning (before the 7/11 ran out of ice and coffee) and surveyed the damage in our neighborhood. We saw everything from small branches blown about front yards to trees resting on car roofs, lying across driveways, and leaning on power lines that were being stretched to capacity. You saw the news, they reported the damage very accurately.

Power was restored Sunday morning. That surprised us as our neighborhood has historically been the last one to get attention. We are so thankful that we only lost food in the refrigerator. It could have been much worse. Our prayers go out to our neighbors less than a mile away who have still not had their power restored. When I look at the news, we were lucky as we had a home to return to unlike the people in Colorado who lost everything. When I have it bad, it comforts me to know that it could have been worse. Losing electricity was minor compared to what those Colorado'ns (sp)are going through. Please pray for them.