It’s a beautiful morning outside. I went for a walk this morning, which I never do. I was up before my alarms, which I never am, and I’m making a big breakfast which I don’t usually do. Although it’s a peaceful morning, last night wasn’t. So, today I’m recuperating, helping, and trying my best to center myself, since I usually don’t.
Hurricane Ida meandered on through the east coast and thorough the trans course of its path, left a huge mess. Mess, is the best word I can think of right now, although I know it’s a huge understatement.
According to an article on AccuWeather’s website, “Ida also spun up several damaging twisters in eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey that left trails of destruction that almost looked similar to portions of the Gulf Coast.” Still, damage in the gulf coast was severe. I have an aunt that lives in Kenner, LA (right next to New Orleans) so, naturally I checked in with her on Saturday night as the storm was there (or approaching) and she had thankfully fled the state and headed to Texas, avoiding the storm. I video called her and saw she was at a fair. It baffled me at first and we laughed about it but thankfully my family there was okay. My favorite college professor also has family there and I was glad to see in social media that her family is doing alright.
Still, I only spend brief moments looking at the pictures of the devastation in Louisiana. Having grown up in Florida, where the hurricane season lasts several months, I know first hand How this all goes. Yet, I haven’t lived in Florida for 7 years now. So while I’m not startled by little thunderstorms, I am by real ones. Ever since I’ve moved away, I go through a cycle of watching footage, stressing out, checking in and keeping my weather alerts on. Oh and hurricane Maria in PR in 2017 was emotionally rough for me too.
ANYWAY, I say all of that to say that I can imagine what those affected in Louisiana could possibly be going through. In addition, most of the affected areas are without power and heading into the remainder of the week colliding with heat waves. My prayers are with them.
Hurricane Ida meandered on through the east coast and thorough the trans course of its path, left a huge mess.
Last night the rain, wind, and previously warmer weather led to the creation of tornados in Jersey, Philly, and other areas near me. I learned this after looking at the weather report…after the water that was leaking from the ceiling made my books and drawers sopping wet. I noticed the dripping once I got home from work. And once more people came home from the work day, they noticed it too and the damage was worsening. We worked on some quick fixes and rearranging throughout the night and slept much later than we wanted to. All the while, my boyfriend a few houses down was sharing with me his flooding situation in his house. Via Instagram, my roommate and I saw the mall in Queens flooded, the boat-like cars in the street, and tornados through people’s Instagram stories. I deflected my stress by watching a show about women killing their cheating husbands (honestly, probably not the best distraction) but it was entertaining enough to distract for a bit.
I slept, and now I’m up, with a strong sense of awareness and feeling a little downcast. It’s a beautiful morning today. The weather has dropped to the low 60’s, it’s sunny, and a little warm too. I’m fidgety and want to help people who are rummaging through stuff and have things worse than me at the moment.
Still, I’ll work on what I can control and do my best to enjoy the morning, making it productive at least, but it’s a tough pill to swallow today.
May the God in control of the chaos, give us strength to work through it all. 🙏🏼
Through My Specs 