As many of you know, Hurricane Irene moved up the East Coast on Saturday afternoon and evening, bringing heavy rain and powerful winds. Our neighborhood took a serious hit: strong gusts brought down several large trees, knocking out power lines, blocking roads, and damaging houses.
We were fortunate that our house escaped major damage, but many neighbors weren’t so lucky. From our patio we watched in dismay as a tree in a nearby yard toppled onto a neighbor’s home — it easily could have fallen the other way and struck ours.
Luckily, the family inside — two adults and their dogs — were unharmed. Their home, however, suffered flooding and broken windows, and it was heartbreaking to see. Our thoughts are with them and everyone else whose homes or families were affected.
During the worst of the storm we stayed inside from about 6 p.m. until midnight. After hearing several large trees fall on our block, we chose to sleep in interior rooms for greater protection in case something struck the house. Because our basement sits below ground and could have flooded, we preferred interior spaces over lower-level rooms. Clara slept in a pack-and-play in the hallway, which was insulated by rooms on every side.
John and I moved the lighter guest-room mattress into the kitchen, which lies at the center of the house.
Our basement did not flood, though we have lots of branches and debris to clear from the yard, along with a few larger limbs in the back. We feel very fortunate compared with some of our neighbors.
We remain without power along with many other Richmond residents — our electricity went out around 5 p.m. Saturday, and this is now the third day without it. Restoration could be within a few days, but with trees down on power lines across the area it may take longer; official estimates suggest it could be anywhere from several days to one or two weeks. Because of this, our posting schedule may be irregular and responses on social media might be slower than usual. We do plan to continue the afternoon giveaway as intended and will check in when we can. We hope everyone dealing with storm impacts is safe and finding support where possible.
We also checked on our first house and were relieved to find it appeared to have weathered the storm. Still, there was a very large tree down on the house across the street — a stark reminder of how sudden and dangerous these events can be.
Between this storm and the earthquake earlier in the week, we’re ready for a break from natural disasters. Neither event commonly affects Richmond so severely; the last comparable storm was Isabel in 2003, when many people were without power for about a week. We’re hopeful the outage ends sooner this time. A few relatives do have power and were kind enough to share food and water, so we spent Sunday morning at Grammy’s house where power made a big difference. Clara enjoyed the calm and company — she and her cousin John watched a video together and relaxed after the chaos.
Thank you to everyone on Twitter, Facebook, and in the comments who checked in on us this weekend. Your concern meant a great deal. For anyone else who was affected by the storm, please tell us how you’re doing — we’d love to hear from you and share support.