Tales from Astoria: Hurricane Irene

So then, while we have the opportunity, let us do good to all...
Galatians 6:9a

At 7:30 this morning we woke up our landlady to show her the water coming through the back windows, ceiling, and wall. Graciously she rushed downstairs to see that we were alright. Quickly she helped us use garbage bags to collect the water and offered to take our soaked towels to be washed and dried. We had two large, black garbage bags full of towels and she washed and folded all of them.

We had been hanging them in the bathroom, off other door frames and chairs, and using the outdoor "mini" clothesline to dry them once the rain and winds stopped. We are so fortunate to have her to wash the towels for us since we don't have a washer/dryer and I would have had to take all of the to the laundromat a few blocks away. Don't let anyone kid you, wet towels are heavy!

Interestingly while I was out hanging the towels in the front yard, there were several doves that flew over. The hubby pointed out that at the end of Noah's ark a raven and dove were sent out to see if the flood waters subsided.

We are pleased that we have escaped this storm relatively unscathed. When the lights went out early on in the storm, we decided to pack a "go bag" and pick everything up off the floor that would absorb water. I spent some time in Galveston after Hurricane Ike with my friends Jenn and Tim so, unfortunately I kind of knew what we should move/pick up before the water came in. We didn't lose any personal property.

We have many friends on the island who did not fair as well as we did. My parents still don't have power and presently have a 35' tree resting on power lines in the backyard. A friend has several feet of water in her basement. She is particularly frustrated because she had this happen earlier in March. Hopefully, things get better for everyone soon.

Here are some photos of our setup at the moment: