Ike's Arrival & Aftermath

Playing in the puddles after Ike.

We took a wagon ride to see the war zone.

Ike came through on Friday about 2 am. Our power went out on Friday about midnight. High winds, and debris blew through the air and kept us awake most of the night. We listened to the continuous news coverage on our battery powered radio. Kasiana slept through the whole thing. I finally got to sleep about 6 am, once everyone started waking up to see what the destruction in our neighborhood was. We lost half of one of our trees and the fence in our backyard has to be replaced. Mortar pieces from our chimney shook loose in the storm and came through our fireplace. Our street was filled with tree branches and debris. It's been neat to see everyone working together to help each other. Ruben is exhausted from working so hard at our house and each of the neighbors' houses, cutting down tree branches, etc.

We really fared better than we thought we would have. There are so many that are in worse shape than we are. Our power was restored Saturday around 5:00 pm. I'd say that only about 30 of Houston has had their power restored. We are among those lucky few. Both Ruben's parents and my parents do not have power, and have been staying with us. Mom brought all the food over from the fridge and freezer and we are trying to cook as much as we can before it spoils. Mom and Jerry just found out last night that it would be anywhere from 1-4 more weeks, before they could expect power. Schools are out again for at least today and tomorrow. Kasiana is beside herself, having fun with both sets of grandparents and "working" outside.

The tree that split in front of our house.

This tree was completely uprooted, a couple of housed down.

The boys in the neighborhod making a fort out of downed trees.

The humidity has done great things for Kasiana's curls.