I made coffee early this morning.  Good thing, the power went out a 9:45 a.m.  At that point, the wind wasn’t brisk enough to even fly a kite.  Thus far Irene has been like other storms that have hit our area in the past, bands of heavy rain and high winds.   Isabel was the last destructive bitch.

But she was nothing like my aunt described when Hugo hit Charleston, SC in 1989.  She said they sat in the hallway for hours listening to the wind that sounded like a TV on static with the volume at max.

During Hurricane Bonnie, I wasin the hall closet, but it was only for about twenty minutes during  a tornado warning.  Can’t imagine hunkered down for hours, praying for the roof and windows to hold.  After Isabel, we were without out power for nearly a week, but without damage to the house.  Our neighbors weren’t so lucky with the trees.

Still, each time we’re in the path of another hurricane, my aunt’s words remind me of bad things could get and fear if I don’t show respect for their power, that’s when my family and I will get hammered.

Praying for our coastal friends on OBX and VA Beach…

Hurricanes Endured:  Irene 2011, Ernesto- 2006, a tropical storm with a ton of rain and wind – our roof leaked!) Isabel- 2003, Powerless for a week; Floyd, 1999 – Flooded nearby Franklin; Bonnie 1998  – took out our huge plum tree;  Felix – 1995, who forced us from OBX but never made landfall, despite my son sucking the storm in with his MAM pacifer that had a cartoon cat face, we unaffectionately named, Felix);  Gloria – 1985 a Cat 4  we boarded up windows for that thankfully it only skirted NC’s OBX.