Storm of the Century

Early this morning, around 4 am, I was woken up by the alarm on Libby's monitor, signaling we had lost power. I jumped up to turn it off, then walked out into the living room to see the storm. But I couldn't see. The wind and rain were so strong that I couldn't see out my windows. My windows looked as if they were made of frosted glass. I could see the flashes of lightning, but they illuminated nothing but a wall of rain.

When I was pregnant with Libby, about 6 months along, there was a big storm one day while I was at the farm. We scrambled to let the horses out into the fields, because if left in their stalls they could become spooked and injure themselves. And if they are outside and a tornado comes, their instinct will lead them away from danger. I had one horse left to get out, and he was half-wild with fright. I knew if I left him in his stall he would at least kick down some walls, and would probably end up hurting himself. So I dragged him out to the field and let him go. I stood in the rain, one hand on the metal gate, watching him run to join the herd. This idiot horse had a habit of slipping in the mud and I wanted to watch and make sure he didn't biff it on the way to his friends. Suddenly, I heard a very, very loud CRACK! and felt like I had been hit in the chest with a baseball bat. I turned around and saw my manager and one of the stable hands waving and yelling at me, only I couldn't hear them. David ran out to where I was and half dragged me to the office while Maureen hollered at me "are you trying to fry that baby!?" When we got inside we stood at the windows and saw that lightning had hit the roof of the barn. The barn that I had been standing not 60 feet from minutes earlier.

That experience left me a bit shaken, but I had never really been scared by a storm before. I usually enjoy the wind and the thunder and the lightning and the rain lashing against the windows. Last night I was afraid. Even from inside, the wind was literally deafening. I could hear nothing. During most all storms we have here, the wind comes from the west, and our apartment is on the east side of the building, with our front windows facing north. So we were relatively sheltered from the wind. Libby's room faces north, and I knew if we were to lose a window, hers would be first to go. So I went into her room and scooped her up and brought her into my room, whose windows face east and was therefore the safest windowed room in the apartment. We laid in bed, watching the lightning, deafened by the wind, chests aching from the force of the thunder. Libby laid on my chest, her head on my shoulder, and when the storm began to die, I heard a funny whooshing in my left ear. I realized that for the last hour she had been breathing in my ear, but the wind was so loud that I couldn't hear it. I couldn't hear her breathing in my ear. For a whole hour. Amazing.

Libby stayed with me until the rain completely stopped, around 6 am. She hadn't done more than dozed off and on during her time in my bed, so I returned her to her little bed so she could get some sleep before the sun came up. Our apartment's management team had already been out in the rain for an hour by that time, walking around with flashlights and checking all the apartments. From my dining room window I could see three apartments whose windows had been completely blown out and one carport that was a mangled mess. The fire department came out a little after six to survey the damage.

Daylight revealed 4 more damaged apartments visible from my dining room, totalling 7 that could be seen just from my position. The carport was absolutely shredded. Some cars were damaged, and many trees were torn apart. The tree right across from us was split right in half. No one was hurt. I don't know if a tornado came through or if it was the wind alone, but a lot of damage was done here.

Each night when John is away, I pray that Libby and I will make it through the night safe and unharmed. The thought in my mind is "safe from bad people". I never considered "safe from weather". But the Lord protected us nonetheless, kept us sheltered in the hollow of His hand. Throughout the storm I felt comforted by the spirit and I knew that we would be safe. And we were.

I am grateful the Lord watched over my little family last night. And I am grateful there was no damage done to my home, especially after all the hard work I have done getting it organized and clean the last week! The sky is clear and blue, and the sun is shining bright and hot. Crews are already out cleaning up debris and cutting down trees. I am glad no one was hurt.

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face to shine upon you and give you peace.