Impact of Ike

My parents live outside Houston, off I-45, about 45 minutes from Galveston. Even though both of them had off work since Thursday, they decided to stay and weather the storm and protect their turf. I talked to them several times yesterday, the last time being about 9pm, when the wind had gotten too strong for Jack to go outside anymore.

I also talked to them this morning, after the storm had passed through. They currently have no power (lost it about 2AM), have no fence, and have tons of tree branches EVERYWHERE! They have some water damage in one of the bathrooms and their street is flooded...but they are safe and alive! They have food and water, and thankfully, their cellphones both still work! My dad has wired one of the TV's to a car battery so they can keep up with what's going on around town. Jack's mad because he can't roam the backyard freely.

I should have been in Seattle already, but Southwest Airlines got freaked out and cancelled a lot of flights this morning. The weather here in Dallas is just now starting to get interesting, but they claim "dangerous crosswinds" as their cancellation reason. Originally, they closed the airport until Monday morning. I had to reschedule my trip until then, and was quite angry about it. Once we heard the majority of the storm was going to miss Dallas, I started calling Southwest hourly to see if I could get out earlier than Monday. The first few times, I was still told the airport was closed until Monday. FINALLY, I was told that they had openings on a flight tomorrow, so I begged and pleaded! Normally, you're only supposed to have one switch for free, but I threw out the "Monday's my birthday" card, and was able to convince them! SO, tomorrow morning, I'll fly out, only losing 24 hours of my vacation!

Liberty is lounging around, getting freaked out by the wind noises in the hallway. I guess having a day to relax on this side of the trip probably isn't such a bad idea...it gives me a chance to pack smartly, instead of throwing crap in a bag...which was the plan!

So, if you think about it today, please say a prayer for my parents and their lack of power...and all the other families in Houston/Galveston who are experiencing loss today.