7/3/12 The First Week
in the Land of Mary, Part 2: Face to
Face with a Derecho
Friday, June 29
Meds kicked in, felt soooo much better, energy returning. Em, Aric, and Asaka left in the morning for a
Merolli family event in Pennsylvania, and we are babysitting the beagle. The two animals had a few seconds of face
time, which was mostly growls (the cat) and snuffling (the dog). Radio warnings of severe thunderstorms during
the night.
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| We're not in California anymore . . . |
Productive day of unpacking, lots done, lots of empty
boxes to break down and recycle. We went
to bed tired and proud of ourselves.
Only a few minutes later, before we fell asleep, we heard a series of
strange sounds. It took me a while to
recognize it as thunder because there was as much “popping” as “rumbling” –
like someone was perforating the sky in a high circle above us. Then, in an instant, and I do mean an
instant, the weather went from so still a feather wouldn’t move to 60+ mph
winds! A hole HAD been ripped in the sky! Not two minutes later our power went
out. We heard the crash of falling
branches all over our heavily wooded neighborhood; the dog was whining, the cat
was crying, the wind was a screaming banshee, and I felt a whole lot like
Dorothy looking out of the broken farmhouse watching the storm. Something told me we weren’t in California
anymore . . . .
And then the rain came.
Buckets of it, for hours, and with it, continuous lightening and
thunder.
Saturday, June 30
Eery silence in the morning. No power. Cat and dog still quivering under the
furniture. A look outside reveals large
downed branches and torn leaves littering the ground. We are alone, our phones are almost out of
charge, laptop is barely charged. Don’t
want to open the ‘frig so the food has a better chance of staying good.
Dwight went out hunting for breakfast (we did have gas!)
and the GPS unit helped him locate a Starbucks 10 miles away that has
power. The line was way out the door and
into the parking lot, people were cranky, and Dwight learned that a quick run
for coffee and pastry when all traffic lights are out can take more than 2
hours – this is a bit of a familiar refrain!
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| The tree canopy above our house was intact |
We inspect the house – no damage. No damage to the car. No downed trees on the property. We locate our emergency radio inside one of
the boxes and learn that what we have experienced is called a derecho, an ungodly wild storm which, unlike a tornado
or hurricane, moves in a linear direction with great destructive results. You
can read more about it here:
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| A tree came down on a house close by |
Paul, our neighbor, assured us that the power would
probably be back on soon. His car phone
charger won’t work with our phone, so no luck there. Our other neighbors are not home. We unpack a bit, wondering what to do. The heat outside is sweltering, but the house
is comfortable, so we decide to stay put for the night, hoping all will be well
in the morning.
Sunday, July 1
No power in the morning.
We make do with weird food for breakfast, and find that George and Jose,
our other neighbors are home and have a car phone charger that works for
us. Thank goodness! They also assure us that the power will
likely be on soon, so we make plans with that in mind.
We haul out a couple of ice chests, and set out in search
of food and ice.
First stop: the
Takoma Park farmer’s market. Surprise!!!
This California gardener was delighted to find an amazing variety of beautiful
vegetables and fruits, many organically grown, along with an array of baked
goods, local cheeses, flower and veggie starts, eggs, and so much more. Now I started to feel hopeful that we weren’t
on another planet after all. We called
around to find grocery stores that had power.
Second stop: The
Food Co-op for ice. They were out. Ice companies had lost power as well, and
everyone was trying to find alternatives.
The very kind clerk gave us a three pound bag from the Co-ops own stash,
so our veggies from the farmer’s market would stay good.
Third stop: Trader
Joes. They do not carry ice, but the
convenience store next door does, when the power is on! They scraped up about 8 pounds for us from
the bottom of an ice machine that had just come back on. God bless them.
Back home: a walk
through the neighborhood, a talk with some of the electric company workers, and
the first hint of the worst news: a
quick return to power does not look good.
We need more ice.
Out again: several
stops, no ice, one more stop at a 7-Eleven, no ice. We have not come this far, made so many
changes in our lives, figured so many things out, been so aware of grace and been
so sure that all will be well to give up now!
As we head back to the car, we spot an ice truck driving by. I want Dwight to chase it, but he notices
that it is turning around! I signal it,
and the driver signals back that he is coming to the very parking lot where we
are standing. Hallelujah! We have ice!!!
The kids will be back this evening, and we continue to
pray for power. It doesn’t come on.
