Outskirts of Ike

As of an hour ago, Ike is still classified as a hurricane. It has been over 8 hours since landfall! So far so good here, we've had rain and a lot of wind...several branches down...but nothing serious. Here is how the radar looks now...

Ike is close

This looks like a really nasty storm. We are praying for those along the Gulf Coast, and for everyone in Ike's path.

We are confident that the Lord will take care of us, and we have provisions for ourselves and others. Check out this little miracle....

Yesterday's hurricane advisory looked like this...

We have asked for prayers for all of Texas, and others in the path of this great storm. This is the advisory map I pulled up this morning from the same source as the map above....

If you look at that small green area in NE Texas, we are the smallest county (right along I20). Not only has the Lord provided us with a hedge, but He has made it doubly thick to the south.

Ike update

It looks like we may feel some effects from Ike, and the local newscasters are suggesting the following:

Storm Preparedness Suggestions
Posted: Thursday, 11th September 2008 9:14AM
Among storm preparedness suggestions which should be completed by late-evening Friday are:

a) Should you lose power, fill an ice chest with all available ice in your refrigerator, and place limited amounts of necessary perishable food or medicines requiring refrigeration in it.

B) Ensure that you have a working flashlight and ample replacement batteries make sure the batteries are of the right type.

C) Make sure your cellular telephone is charged. When electric service is off, be certain to only use your cellular telephone for actual calls, and limit those. Do not use it for text-messaging, playing music, reading or sending electronic mail messages, or downloading material from the Internet. A fully charged traditional cellular telephone can last for up to 84 hours, provided none of the things listed above are done. The newer multi-use cellular telephones do not last nearly as long.

D) Make certain you have a couple of days of canned meals, which are edible without heating: stews, soups, and the like.

E) Make certain that you have a fully functional battery-powered radio capable of picking up standard AM broadcasting stations, and that you have one set of replacement batteries.

F) If in your car, do not drive through flowing water which is more than 8 inches deep. This is sufficient to wash away most passenger automobiles. Trucks and sport-utility vehicles should not attempt to drive through flowing water more than 18 inches deep. Most weather- related deaths are due to flooding. Turn around; don't drown!

G) If you have an automatic garage door, open the garage Friday evening and leave it open until the danger of power failures has passed.

H) Secure outdoor objects which are too large to bring inside, so they won't blow away and possibly harm persons or the neighbors' property. This includes items such as lawn furniture, trash cans, and the like.

I) Make certain you have enough batteries for necessary medical devices.

Here is our to-do list for the afternoon:

1. Move hay over to our storage area so that we can fill mangers and button the goats and chickens up in the barn & henhouse without having to haul it in the rain or storms.

2. Fill the empty propane tank (3 are full, but we emptied one over the weekend..these are good for cooking during power outtages).

3. Clean and re-fill water barrel

4. Get prescriptions filled.

5. Filter oil for using in oil lamps (you can filter and use discarded cooking oil in oil lamps)

6. Check supply of batteries and get any that are needed.

7. Lock up yard equipment, clear off patio, and take down hanging plants.

I'm sure we'll add things to the list before tomorrow evening. Here's how the storm is progressing.

Here we go again!

We are once again preparing for emergencies as hurricane Ike heads our way. If the predictions are right, we will be on the "bad" side of it, which can mean some nasty weather. This is what it looks like today:

And here is the projected path over the next few days...

It looks like it won't hit our area until Sunday, so we have time to prepare. We have not even drained the water barrel since we got ready for Gustav!

Our prayers are with everyone that has been hit by Ike so far, and for those of us preparing for its' aftermath.

Consider the best...

WOW...

This is worth watching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8


I have tried to comment .... I can't think of a thing to add.

Gustav is Gone!

Today was our first day back to school, so I don't have long to post....but I thought I should update the blog and let everyone know that we are just fine. We've had steady drizzling rain with a few heavy downpours, but they have only amounted to about an inch of rain. Rain that we really needed.

As for any high winds, we had none. We did have one branch come down off the dead oak tree on the back patio....since we can't afford to have it cut down yet ($500+since it is so close to the house)...I think God is taking it down for us one little piece at a time.

Other than that, we are safe. Thank you, Lord for another blessing!!

Getting Ready For Gustav

We are far enough away from the coast that we don't have to worry much about hurricanes, but close enough that we feel them by way of severe thunderstorms and flooding. Hurricane Rita knocked out our power for 2 days, and thankfully we were prepared.

Going without power is not too serious if you keep your freezers closed, have alternate cooking choices, and the temperatures aren't too hot. The biggest issue for us when power goes out is that our well pump is electric. No power = no water.

Today we are filling our water barrel. We can use this water for many of our needs. We have a gravity fed water filter so that we have clean water for drinking, and the 55 gallons that the barrel holds will last for a few days. We can haul water up from the creek for the animals' drinking water.

Our pantry is full of food that can be prepared out in the summer kitchen with no more effort than if we had full power. When Rita hit 3 years ago, we were able to feed friends and neighbors for a few days...we had a great "block party".

We will be working this afternoon to be sure that the hay barn is full and that the hay storage area (over at mom's) is well-covered. We'll be nailing down everything that's loose, taking down the canopy, filling the water barrel, filling water filters, and filling all containers we can for drinking water for the animals. I will be re-arranging the freezers so that the quick to thaw items are deep in the big freezers, and be sure the smaller freezers have things like sausage, bacon, and lunch meats. This will allow us to open the smaller freezers quickly to get out breakfast meats, and will allow us to get through 3-4 days without the need to open the deep freezers. We have canned meats, soups, stews, chilis, meatloaf, and meatballs in the pantry; so we won't have to open the big freezers at all. If we are without power for 2 days it will make no difference in the quality of the food in the big freezers. They are full and frozen solid so they should hold well if they are not opened.

We are about as prepared as one can be. You never know for sure what you will be faced with, so we do our best to cover all of our bases and help others as much as possible.

God has been very good to us, this storm is not nearly as strong as it was first projected. I pray that the worst has passed over the coast and that He will calm the winds approaching us.

My cousin has an excellent blog about emergency preparedness http://www.buildingmyark.blogspot.com/