Hurricane season. It's a season that preoccupies us Floridians. And rightly so! As hurricane Ian formed and made its path, at first it looked like we were the target here in North Central Florida. But then it kept turning more southeasterly. Which meant my parents and sisters were right in the path of the massive storm. Once they realized they were going to be a direct hit, it was too late to evacuate. I75 was crazy standstill and the cities to the east were getting tornadoes. They all decided to board up, stock up on supplies and hunker down. I am thankful I was able to keep in touch with them through a good part of the storm.
As the storm approached they sent pictures of the first destruction. They were worried about the wind, but also the storm surge. We were all praying for God to protect them!
As the morning went on, their texts and calls changed. I could tell the storm was getting very bad. They were all in hallways with mattresses on or near them. My sister saw a tornado on her road. Then she texted that her fence was gone. And then her shed was gone. Mom's big swing blew away. And then, I didn't hear anything from them.
Having no communication was hard. We prayed and prayed and prayed. Watching reports on the news was pretty scary.
By that night, each of my sisters and my parents were able to get a signal or a way to respond that they were safe! I was so thankful! They experienced some destruction and my parents and sister will need a new roof, but they are safe. Praise God!! There is much destruction to my hometown. It will take a long time to rebuild and 8 families from my home church lost everything, including their cars. But, they are safe. Things can be replaced. I am so thankful for God's protection!
As the storm passed over Fort Myers, it looked like it had moved a good bit east so that we wouldn't experience anything too bad once it came up this way. But, we know our area. We so easily lose power! Since they thought we could get tropical storm force winds, we prepared just in case we lost power. Josh and Tabitha invited us to stay the night in their home in case it was windy. So, I baked cupcakes to bring. :o)
Sure enough, our power went out. We didn't have elctricity for about 12 hours. We lit candles, grilled some yummy meat and made the most of it!
It took about a week for the electricity to be restored for my Fort Myers family. I sent them this verse that Tabitha had sent to me,
"when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me."
So thankful for God being that bright light to shine on our path. What an awesome Protector/Provider that we have! So thankful for His protection!
I can only imagine how frightening it was to have family in the eye of the storm. I certainly heard about it where I live and the same hurricane hit eastern Canada and I think the damage was far more than anyone expected. By the time the hurricanes come from the south and reach Canada they have usually lost their force. There is so much devastation and it will take long to rebuild. It might be very difficult over the winter months in certain parts but thank God everyone you know is safe.
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