The sad thing is, they knew it was coming. It wasn't a secret, no one even tried to sugar coat it. We were going to get a hard freeze, the coldest temperature the Houston area has seen for 100 years- give or take. I am not a Texan and I have lived in the frigid winters of Colorado, Boston and Atlanta- so I wasn't too worried. But, I knew it was going to be a difficult situation for Houstonians, as most residents here, have never experienced this type of storm.
So I hunkered. I bundled up. I wrapped my pipes and put towels under the drafty doors to hold in the heat. I stocked up on water and food. I felt prepared- enough. But, I wasn't. The temperatures plummeted, the roads froze solid. Trees fell over. Snow covered the surfaces- but this time it stuck and multiplied and then froze again. This of course being normal for many parts of the country. But for southern Texas- the coast of Texas- it was unheard of. Now we have had snow- light dustings. We have had hail and sleet. Just not this much at one time and for this long.
So, we hunkered, We bundled. We expected our homes to stay warm and us nestled inside. But electricity disappeared. Our warmth and refrigeration disappeared. It got cold. Really cold in our homes. Then it didn't come back on when we were promised. Some people never lost power- others, like me- we lost it for 49 hours or more. Then our water shut off and we no longer had that either. We wrapped in blankets and huddled together. My family going two full days with out power and water.
Then our pipes burst and the ceiling in my bedroom, bathroom and part of our living room collapsed bringing in with it snow, ice and a deluge of water. And it came, and came, and came. We shut the water off to the house. But it kept coming. And as I stood in the cold house, trying to decide how to get the water out- our power came on. For two hours. Then we moved into a rolling black out.
We called the city to have the water shut off at the main- but no answer. The next day- we got ahold of someone and they shut off the water at the city level to our house. As I stood in 2 inches of water in my living room- it was shocking. As I went back into my bedroom it was covered in insulation and mud: my bed, my floor, almost everything in the room. I rushed around to save my books- I am a bibliophile and have a lot of books. I saved all but three. Not bad for a frozen toed, soaking wet, stressed out woman.
I just keep telling myself- its just stuff. I saved my precious stuff. AND the rest, its just items. So many people came to my rescue- I have donations galore of furniture and beyond. I am rebuilding. I have lived in a hotel for awhile, but the house is getting cleaned and sterilized. Hopefully at least temporarily for a few months we can reside in our home. All our belongings are stored in the garage so it will be easy to just resettle there, for now, until the end of the school year.
It has been a few weeks of turmoil- but we are all safe. We have power and water, where many do not. We have a bed and warm place to sleep. We have a generous and kind community here locally and globally. We are blessed. This just being an ice cycle, a jagged stalactite that fell and gave us a gash. But it melted and we are on steady ground now. Thank you to my family, my parents, my community everywhere. I am so appreciative of your well wishes and donations.
Thank you. Stay safe and warm everyone.
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