Storm Hits!

IF INTERESTED, HERE IS HOW IT WENT DOWN...

Monday, July 21, 2008

5:45 am I awake to rain & lightening outside the house, look outside our bedroom window and quickly realize I can't see anything. The wind and rain are blowing alittle hard.

5:47 am I realize I need to go to the bathroom, get up make my way to the bathroom. While sitting on the "potty" I hear alot of noise from outside. Specifically thunder and ????. I "don't finish" taking care of business in the bathroom, yell at the top of my lungs at Eric. "ERIC WE NEED TO GET THE KIDS AND GET TO THE BASEMENT KNOW." I jump up, run to Anna's room grab her out of her bed (her foot gets stuck in the sheet, I throw the sheet away) and run to the basement. Eric was right behindme with Jude.

5:50 am I call the Davenport Y ask Evelyn(my front desk gal) how the Y is and if the power goes out to get everyone to the front of the building. I also tell her to turn on the Emergency radio so she can tell me what is going on.

5:52 am The lights flicker once, come back on and then everything goes black. I said Eric we've lost power, when Jude looks up at me with his Big Brown eyes, and says "Mama, I've got powers" (He loves Super Hero's)
Eric then realizes water is pouring into the basement through the windows, and goes to grab towels to stop the water???

5:54 am I call the Y back and ask Evelyn what kind of storm this is and how long it is going to last, she sits the phone down with the emergency radio blaring into the reciever. I hang up.

5:55 am I make my way to the bathroom to finish my business, when I hear Eric yell from upstairs, "AMY, COME UP HERE NOW!" I said, coming. "NO COME NOW!"
I notice Eric standing at the front door as I approach him he says, "Look." All I could do was, "GASP, and say We're all right, the kids, you and I, we're all right!" "That is all that matters, we're all right!"

And here you see it. A 60 plus year old Oak Tree went down. Not only went down but landed on our Mini-Van AND the neighbor's house. 95 mph winds, a "Flat Tornado?"

5:56 am I encourage Eric to go to the neighbor's to make sure they are alright, the lightening is still happening, but the winds have died down by now. Neighbors on both sides of us were fine.
We go back downstairs to check on the kids, they were good just sitting on the coach together under their blankets. Amazing...

6:00 am I call my dad to let him know what has happened, he tells me he will come up later to start helping with the clean-up. I can't really remember the next few min. but by 6:30 about 8-10 neighbors were walking around the neighborhood making sure no one was injured, realizing our tree had caused the most damage. Everyone gets their cameras and starts taking pictures and visiting in the middle of the street.

6:30 am Eric calls our Insurance Company to report the mess, he gets sent to somewhere in Champaign Illinois because our local agency wasn't open yet. They took down all our inormation.

Where the next hour and a half went I have no idea?

8:00 am I take Jude to the Y-Day Care, help out alittle at the Y. On my way to the Y see a small amount of the damage the storm causes. Down trees and power lines everyone! At the Y I informed families that our Day Camp out in Blue Grass had been hit also. No power and trees everywhere, therefore the entire week was going to be cancelled.

9:30 am Return home to what seems to have been a sureal event. Eric and I make a plan of action. Insurance first. With the power outage, the local insurance company didn't have phone service so we decide to go to the business to report our issue. Then off to Hardees with a gazillion other folks for some food. Hardees and Wendy's and one BP were the only shops open?

1:30 pm Dad, Linda, Uncle Max, Aunt Tonya, Dean Bacon, and numberous neighbors arrive to start cleaning up as much as possible. I must say we put a "BIG DENT" in the tree. THANKS SO MUCH TO Dad and Uncle Max!

5:00 pm It's Busch Beer Time.

5:20 pm My mom gets here to help with the moral support.


ENOUGH...
Power was finally restored tonight around 7:45 pm
A Tree Service removed the trunk from the top of the van.
And the Insurance Adjustor will be here tomorrow.
There is light....

WE ARE SO VERY BLESSED THAT WE DIDN'T GET INJURED OR KILLED. IF THE TREE WOULD HAVE FALLEN 15 FT. TO THE RIGHT IT WOULD HAVE LANDED ON THE HOUSE. AGAIN, WE ARE UNBELIVABLEY BLESSED...

I have another story to write about but I'll save it for another post, I'm ready for bed tonight. I will rest with alittle relief as we are making progress in returning things to "normal" God only knows what tomorrow will bring. Say a little prayer that God is good and thank him for all you have each and everyday.
Goodnight!