Facing Irene #6, Final Report

Boy, is it hot. Been outside, picking up debris, hot and sweaty. Yuck. Blue sky, gentle breeze, river is calm, not even any chop. Water level has gone back down to near normal levels.

Went to bed last night around 10:30. Still had power, wind was a steady, maybe 25 kts out of the north, raining lightly, worst is over.

Well, maybe not. Power went off at midnight. It woke me up; the wind was howling, perhaps the strongest we've had. No idea of speed, but it was making a weird, loud noise.

Big deal, just another hurricane, made sure mom had her flashlight, and went back to bed. I mean, what can you do, right? No power, dark as a coal mine, and it's very nasty outside. Bed is the best place to be. No brainer.

The morning light revealed virtually no real damage, just the normal litter after a heavy storm.

This was the source of our power problem. The Northern Neck Power Cooperative had a truck here this morning, and by 10AM we had juice.

Raymond and I got to work quickly on the lawn litter. Raymond is a local handyman extraordinaire; practically everyone on the Northern Neck wants to hire him. Before long, Broad Reach was looking pretty ship-shape once again.

Oh! Almost forgot the dock. It had a little visible damage, and probably some damage not apparent. I think the deck needs to be re-anchored to the pilings, but other than that, it seemed to escape with most of its timbers intact.

And floating peacefully at anchor, right where it is supposed to be, is the barge I had feared might wind up on our beach.

My brother, Louie, in Norfolk is likewise ok, and has but little damage. The waters in his neighborhood exceeded the mark set by Isabelle. They came within one inch of doing some real damage, but no closer.

My nephew and his wife, Jake and Atoosa, who live within a frog's croak of the Dismal Swamp, likewise escaped significant damage, and as a plus, Jake believes that the deluge of rain (we got about 11 inches, according to the rain gauge) may have finally put out the Dismal Swamp fire that has been burning within a mile of their home.

Another nephew and his wife, Adam and Melissa, live farther up the Chesapeake Bay. They spent the night sleeping in an interior hallway that leads to the basement; apparently it was pretty wild and wooly, but they, too, escaped damage.

For me, it was completely unplanned but entirely appropriate that this little Irene series followed my post on gratitude. The Lord is good, even in the midst of disaster, even when everything turns belly-up. His plans for His elect are always good, even if we can't always understand or perceive the goodness. That's where faith in a real and living God, a real Person, governs our understanding.

But I am thankful He spared my loved ones.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper, And from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, And under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day; Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon.  Psalm 91:1-6 (NASB)

Reporting from Broad Reach, on a bright, sunny, Sunday afternoon.