Hurricane Ike
Greetings! We survived Ike, and we have a great story.
Ike hit after midnight September 13th. We boarded up all the windows to keep trees and debris from breaking through, and we played games after the electricity failed close to 9 pm. I had battery powered lights and a TV, so time went by fast as Ike approached. Around 1:45 am everyone was in or about ready for bed when Jordan said a leak had occurred in the hall upstairs. We put something to catch the water under the leak and moved items from getting wet. I discovered the leak also stretched into the upstairs walk-in attic area, and I placed receptacles there, too. Then we retired. Jordan bedded down on the couch in the den, but Adam stayed in his bed upstairs. Our bed is next to the den downstairs.
It wasn't long before there was a crash - the ceiling had come down where the leak was upstairs in the hall. I awoke Adam and moved him to the den. Nothing we could do about the ceiling and damage at that time. Back to bed. (I found out later that the ceiling in Jordan's room had fallen on his bed. Fortunately, he was downstairs.) The wind blew and rain fell, and after awhile the wind direction changed more to the back of the house. Trees fell, some on the roof with a loud bang. The first so loud I thought the chimney had fallen, and I made my way to the attic to see inside if that was true. But it had not.
Soon the back roof of the house began to leak in places. Splats on the floor carpeting made us find more receptacles in the den and in the little hall to our bedroom. Our master bathroom started to leak, too. I moved our boys from the den to our bedroom for safety. Water was running down the walls in the den and the sheetrock seems were wet. I was afraid more ceiling would fall. The carpet was wet in the bedroom and den. I began to have some chest pain.
I told Tammy about my growing pain. She called 911, but they said no vehicles could come. I had taken some baby aspirin and started feeling a bit better. I told her to cancel the ambulance that couldn't come anyway and she did.
The kitchen ceiling started to leak and I got up in the kitchen attic with pans to catch some of the roof leaks. I wanted to save the kitchen, but it later fell. When I got back to bed, my pain got worse and Tammy called again, but they said it would take awhile for anyone to get here. By 7 am the pain was very bad. They called back and suggest Nitro Glycerine and aspirin. I took two more aspirin, but we had no Nitro, a prescription. Tammy sent Jordan across the street to a neighbor, Don, who knows almost everyone, but he had none as Jordan reported back. But Don started going house to house and miraculously found Nitro two doors down from our home. He rushed back with it and I sprayed two sprays under my tongue. The pain did not lessen. I also had pain in my back at my neck, and in my left shoulder. My arms would go to sleep and I moved to try to tolerate the pain, but I could not rise or I would black out. I had tried earlier as I became nauseous, intending to get to the bathroom, but forced to immediately return to bed.
I asked Adam to see if a nearby clinic might be open and my neighbor joined in the journey, but the clinic was closed. There were no clinics or hospitals open anywhere south of Houston's Medical center, and they were in lock down. Ambulances could not traverse the strewn streets where power lines lay just above the ground, and water blocked the roadways. No one could get to me. At one point I began to strain to breathe. It appeared to be the end as I gasped, but with my eyes closed my vision turned white, akin to seeing the white light I guess. I began to breathe normally again, still in pain, but confident help would come.
Almost two hours later, a police car and EMT arrived. They gave me oxygen, and it was then that I started feeling better. Soon I could rise and walk to the cruiser where the EMT and I sat in the back seat. The journey was perilous. Under power lines, through high water, around downed trees and street lamps, contraflow where one side was blocked, and with help from others to navigate our way. We finally were able to get to Saint Luke's Hospital where they monitored me. My pain had subsided, but my heart was still having problems and they took a look to see what was happening - a catherization. A couple of 50% blockages combined with stress had initiated the heart attack. But medicine would be the prescription.
While I was there they discovered a recent addition to my medications was in conflict with my diabetes medicine, causing my kidneys to begin to fail. They had to flush them and change my medicine (an ACE inhibitor) to prevent the kidney damage. So if I had not gone to the hospital for the heart attack, I would have for kidney failure.
Upon my return home I felt normal with plenty of energy. Even able to help box our home's contents. Our church family showed up to help us one day, and the next day Tammy's work friends and co-workers arrived in force to help.
The neighbor two houses down with the Nitro Glycerine turned out to be a remodeling contractor and they tarped our home, and we hired them to do the mitigation of our home - the removal of the wet carpet, sheet rock, and insulation - which was done by the time we had workers here to help move contents into storage. What a blessing!
Friends at church helped us find an apartment around the corner from our home that will be available in mid-October. Until then we have not found a motel or hotel - they are all booked or damaged. But with fans and dehumidifiers in our home right now, we're are comfortable living in our bedroom and den, both with ceilings, but no carpet. The master bathroom is usable, as is the kitchen, after we did some cleaning. Our power came back on soon after the storm, went off, then came back to stay a day later, so we are fortunate in that regard. Many of our friends still do not have power. And it is hot again after a brief respite from a cool front that came through after the storm.
So a week after Ike we have a lot to be thankful for and a lot of work before life will normalize. I am able to conduct my internet business and Tammy will be going back to work tomorrow, Monday, at USA. We came through with a story, a long story, but a good story. If I had to sum it up in few words it would be:
- If you have a heart attack in a Hurricane, have hope that God is there.
- If no one can come to help, have hope that God will get them there somehow.
- If the medicine you need to save your life is not at hand, know that God has taken care of that, too. It's only two doors down the street.
Ike hit after midnight September 13th. We boarded up all the windows to keep trees and debris from breaking through, and we played games after the electricity failed close to 9 pm. I had battery powered lights and a TV, so time went by fast as Ike approached. Around 1:45 am everyone was in or about ready for bed when Jordan said a leak had occurred in the hall upstairs. We put something to catch the water under the leak and moved items from getting wet. I discovered the leak also stretched into the upstairs walk-in attic area, and I placed receptacles there, too. Then we retired. Jordan bedded down on the couch in the den, but Adam stayed in his bed upstairs. Our bed is next to the den downstairs.
It wasn't long before there was a crash - the ceiling had come down where the leak was upstairs in the hall. I awoke Adam and moved him to the den. Nothing we could do about the ceiling and damage at that time. Back to bed. (I found out later that the ceiling in Jordan's room had fallen on his bed. Fortunately, he was downstairs.) The wind blew and rain fell, and after awhile the wind direction changed more to the back of the house. Trees fell, some on the roof with a loud bang. The first so loud I thought the chimney had fallen, and I made my way to the attic to see inside if that was true. But it had not.
Soon the back roof of the house began to leak in places. Splats on the floor carpeting made us find more receptacles in the den and in the little hall to our bedroom. Our master bathroom started to leak, too. I moved our boys from the den to our bedroom for safety. Water was running down the walls in the den and the sheetrock seems were wet. I was afraid more ceiling would fall. The carpet was wet in the bedroom and den. I began to have some chest pain.
I told Tammy about my growing pain. She called 911, but they said no vehicles could come. I had taken some baby aspirin and started feeling a bit better. I told her to cancel the ambulance that couldn't come anyway and she did.
The kitchen ceiling started to leak and I got up in the kitchen attic with pans to catch some of the roof leaks. I wanted to save the kitchen, but it later fell. When I got back to bed, my pain got worse and Tammy called again, but they said it would take awhile for anyone to get here. By 7 am the pain was very bad. They called back and suggest Nitro Glycerine and aspirin. I took two more aspirin, but we had no Nitro, a prescription. Tammy sent Jordan across the street to a neighbor, Don, who knows almost everyone, but he had none as Jordan reported back. But Don started going house to house and miraculously found Nitro two doors down from our home. He rushed back with it and I sprayed two sprays under my tongue. The pain did not lessen. I also had pain in my back at my neck, and in my left shoulder. My arms would go to sleep and I moved to try to tolerate the pain, but I could not rise or I would black out. I had tried earlier as I became nauseous, intending to get to the bathroom, but forced to immediately return to bed.
I asked Adam to see if a nearby clinic might be open and my neighbor joined in the journey, but the clinic was closed. There were no clinics or hospitals open anywhere south of Houston's Medical center, and they were in lock down. Ambulances could not traverse the strewn streets where power lines lay just above the ground, and water blocked the roadways. No one could get to me. At one point I began to strain to breathe. It appeared to be the end as I gasped, but with my eyes closed my vision turned white, akin to seeing the white light I guess. I began to breathe normally again, still in pain, but confident help would come.
Almost two hours later, a police car and EMT arrived. They gave me oxygen, and it was then that I started feeling better. Soon I could rise and walk to the cruiser where the EMT and I sat in the back seat. The journey was perilous. Under power lines, through high water, around downed trees and street lamps, contraflow where one side was blocked, and with help from others to navigate our way. We finally were able to get to Saint Luke's Hospital where they monitored me. My pain had subsided, but my heart was still having problems and they took a look to see what was happening - a catherization. A couple of 50% blockages combined with stress had initiated the heart attack. But medicine would be the prescription.
While I was there they discovered a recent addition to my medications was in conflict with my diabetes medicine, causing my kidneys to begin to fail. They had to flush them and change my medicine (an ACE inhibitor) to prevent the kidney damage. So if I had not gone to the hospital for the heart attack, I would have for kidney failure.
Upon my return home I felt normal with plenty of energy. Even able to help box our home's contents. Our church family showed up to help us one day, and the next day Tammy's work friends and co-workers arrived in force to help.
The neighbor two houses down with the Nitro Glycerine turned out to be a remodeling contractor and they tarped our home, and we hired them to do the mitigation of our home - the removal of the wet carpet, sheet rock, and insulation - which was done by the time we had workers here to help move contents into storage. What a blessing!
Friends at church helped us find an apartment around the corner from our home that will be available in mid-October. Until then we have not found a motel or hotel - they are all booked or damaged. But with fans and dehumidifiers in our home right now, we're are comfortable living in our bedroom and den, both with ceilings, but no carpet. The master bathroom is usable, as is the kitchen, after we did some cleaning. Our power came back on soon after the storm, went off, then came back to stay a day later, so we are fortunate in that regard. Many of our friends still do not have power. And it is hot again after a brief respite from a cool front that came through after the storm.
So a week after Ike we have a lot to be thankful for and a lot of work before life will normalize. I am able to conduct my internet business and Tammy will be going back to work tomorrow, Monday, at USA. We came through with a story, a long story, but a good story. If I had to sum it up in few words it would be:
- If you have a heart attack in a Hurricane, have hope that God is there.
- If no one can come to help, have hope that God will get them there somehow.
- If the medicine you need to save your life is not at hand, know that God has taken care of that, too. It's only two doors down the street.
posted by Terry @ 9/21/2008 04:07:00 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
Hi Terry,
What an experience. We were monitoring the situation on KHOU during the storm. When I called Kim on Saturday, she told us you'd had a heart attack. We're thankful that you're okay, and that God provided all that you needed. I sent out a prayer request on Saturday to our church family for you. I pray your housing situation will be cleared up quickly.
Barry
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