Evacu-Blog

It’s 9:00 a.m. and everyone is safe. It is a joy to be able to accept the provision of shelter. Laurel is under tornado watch as the remnants of the Swede shower the already wet pavements.  This morning we cooked up loaves of french toast while the guys began to challenge each other to a small Halo tourney.  Ray and Fran exited their travel trailer as the winds picked up and the sirens went off while Laura, Michelle, and Ashley went to visit some of our ADBC friends in their homes.  There are a few leaks in the roof here that have apparently plagued the facility for years that have been exacerbated by the continual rain and wind.

School is cancelled so we can stay in the fellowship another day without having to pack up our cots and sleeping mats.  Last night we surveyed our food to see what we have in the ice chests that might need to be cooked before it spoils and made menus accordingly.  We have saved ourselves hundreds of dollars in lodging and meal costs by putting this evacuation plan together. We are extremely thankful for this church’s willingness to accomodate us.  And I am grateful for our congregation’s diligence in working hard to make our time away a good experience. The Lord always gives us a context to exercise our new selves.

Back home the damage is being assessed and the utilities are being repaired. Here are a few tidbits from the news:

• Storm surge averaged 6 to 7 feet across most of the Lake Pontchartrain shoreline in St. Tammany, perhaps slightly higher in the Mandeville and Madisonville areas
• About 45,000 households in the parish were left without power
• Assessment teams from utility companies and St. Tammany Parish will head out this morning to evaluate the damage throughout the parish, and a decision on when residents can return could be made by mid-day

So, the parish won’t allow us back in until tomorrow according to the news.  We wait.