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| The evening sky after the storm. Our homes were dark, so everyone came outside to look. |
The sky turned to pitch. Trees seemed to be growing sideways. Thunderous lights lit the sky. It was 6 p.m. We were almost home. Suddenly, blinding rain hammered at the windshield; hail pinged the hood, and branches clobbered the car. My husband swerved instinctively through the road.
By the time we reached our home and all raced to the porch, the water was mid-calf. The house is situated on a small hill. House gutters were useless. The yard was strewn with branches and leaves. As we entered the house, the power blew. Darkness. Inside. The eerie quiet that comes from a lack of electricity.
Supposedly, tornadoes struck New Jersey in last Tuesday’s storm. Many huge oaks and maples blew over, ripping down power lines and lifting up curbs, sidewalks, and streets. Unfortunately homes and cars were damaged. Roadways were blocked for days. Our electric high speed line trains couldn’t run. Some people couldn’t get to work. Stores were closed, traffic lights out. Cell phones lit, but Verizon was out. We had no cell phone service.
My heart goes out to anyone who deals with severe weather on a regular basis.
The next morning, my husband drove a distance to find a store with power, and purchased three huge bags of ice and laid them across the top of our chest freezer. Clean running water kept us going. Mind you, it wasn’t hot water or even warm. Cold showers or no showers were the call.
Right! The children chose no showers.
Time to pretend we were camping. We ate outside for light, using our propane grill. We grilled everything trying to use the perishable supplies in the house before they spoiled. Wrapping pork, fish, and some vegetables in tinfoil kept them moist. We emptied the refrigerator and placed butter, milk, etc. on top of the ice in the chest freezer. The bright camping lantern followed us around the house when we were together. Individual spot lights stayed in the bathroom and kids’ rooms.
High water receded. Luckily temperatures were seasonable, so windows stayed open. We checked in on elderly neighbors. Some people purchased generators to keep foods from spoiling. As we explored the neighborhood, sometimes we could hear the laughter of children above the drone of generators. As the days of no power continued, everyone took walks and read on porches.
The power finally returned this past weekend. However, between chain saws buzzing and wood chipping continuing in my neighborhood, my ears will be ringing for quite some time.
I hope all is well and that the weather is behaving where you are. Thanks for stopping by Camping with Kids and leaving a comment.
I bet it was just like camping; minus the food spoiling. I'm glad you made it through the storm unscathed. I pray for those who did not.
Thank you, Michelle. I pray for all those who suffered personal damage as a result of this storm. I also pray for all those who deal with severe weather routinely. Thank you for visiting my Camping with Kids blog. Your comments are always appreciated.
yay for camping experience to get you through! I bet you enjoyed your first hot shower though
Ohmygosh, did I! When the power finally came back on the first thing I did was jump in the shower. "Mom goes first," I told the children. "Then I'll cook something elaborate in the oven." That's the only reason I got in the shower first. The kids wanted something besides grilled chicken and hamburger. Sponge baths don't cut it in the summer. Thanks so much, Lynda, for visiting my Camping with Kids blog. It is greatly appreciated.
We don't realise here in the UK how lucky we are not to suffer extremes of weather like you do in the states, at least not as often as you do.
How we all take hot water for granted, I remember the days when all water had to be boiled by the kettle – I am giving my age away here Victoria Marie!
Bill
http://www.walksintameside.co.uk
Yes, I was telling my husband just yesterday that I was glad we don't live in the Midwest with the threat of tornadoes more often. Ahh…hot water. I don't think I could live without it, even if I needed to heat it in a kettle first. We have an electric stove top and oven in our kitchen. Grilling on the barbeque was faster than trying to boil water, but everything is quicker on our gas grill as opposed to on our camping propane stove. Thanks so much, Bill, for visiting my Camping with Kids blog and leaving a note. Always a pleasure to hear from you.