Hurricane Ike - Still Causing Misery

There is a very old expression, “After three days, fish starts to smell”. Hubby and I try to live by the motto. When we visit, we try to be there three days or less and when someone visits us, we try to make their visit last only three days. (With due respect, surely they would want to visit Houston, Dallas or Shreveport while they are here!) 

It is a simple fact of life that when we invite those from outside our immediate family to stay in our home, it wears very thin or as they say today, “It gets old”. We all do our very best to get along with our spouse and if we have children at home, with them too, of course. We have our quirks, our routines, our own ways. But we get used to each other. Or, we divorce. 

So, when people – either out of the kindness of their hearts or because they felt it was the “right thing to do” – invited friends and family into their homes to be sheltered from Ike, they learned. 

Hurricane Ike turned off the power in this area on Saturday and today, Thursday, in our own East Texas town, just about one-third of the population are still without electricity. Since those evacuees came here on Thursday or Friday, in some cases, “guests” have been here for one week now. 

Many people who have come here from the Texas Gulf Coast have not been given the word to go back home. Worse, some have nothing to go back to. 

In some large parking lots, there are vehicles which look as though they are parked there with evacuees living in them.

Hotels were filled long ago, people are running out of money and patience. 

Today’s newspaper relates strife and crime. Our streets are still full with drivers from other areas unsure of how to get places. Of course, there were traffic lights out of service and that was a real challenge! 

We still have many evacuee shelters; schools are closed (some being used for shelters, meals, etc.) and we still have National Guard at various parking lots doling out ice, bottled water and meal packs. 

Everywhere there are service trucks – electric, cable, telephone, clean-up, tree services. 

Some of the advice is not getting through because people who need to know what is going on have no way to hear the messages. People should be leaving their front porch lights on so workers will know when power is restored. Garbage may be put in re-cycle as well as regular barrels for pick-up. If you need some water, here is where to get it. Don’t mix tree limbs with bagged garbage. The city is organized, but not everyone is able to receive the word. 

Grocery stores and restaurants are to capacity. 

So, people are starting to smell like the fish out of water on the beach. Some figuratively, some literally! 

Worse, people are starting to hate the situation so bad, they are causing harm to others, as in stabbing, and in one case, two pots of boiling vegetables were hurled at in-laws. 

Our physiologists, social workers, firemen and policemen, maintenance people and government employees are now very much overworked. 

A good place for all of us with power is inside our homes and going out after dark is probably a very bad idea. 

Please, Dear God, let this come to an end and bring us all back to “normal”. 

[Ed.note: Even in a power outage, gas burners may be lit with a match and used for cooking.]