Hurricane Ike

Well, for only being a category 1 (at landfall) hurricane, Ike, left quite a mess behind making millions lose power and water. We were lucky to only have lost power. Our house was spared from any falling trees. Apparently, the size of this storm and the amount of rainfall contributed to trees toppling, not because of high winds, but because the ground was so saturated. Having grown up in Puerto Rico, I've experienced many hurricanes before and I can tell you that in comparison, this one was wimpy. Not once did I hear the wind howling or see flying debris...imagine the devastation had the hurricane been stronger! Now I can appreciate why in Puerto Rico, by law, all houses have to be constructed of cement and rebar. I guess the three little pigs can really teach us a thing or two! Below are a few shots from our little corner of the world....

Robbie & Jack check out the scene from our front door. They had MAJOR cabin fever!

While Jack & Jeff slept in, Katja, Robbie, and I got on our bikes in the light rain and checked out the damage to the neighborhood. We soon discovered streets blocked by trees and pedaled through water that reached the top of our tires. At one point, when the water got too high and the current too strong, we had to get off our bikes and walk them until we reached shallower areas.

Some of our neighbors were not as lucky as we were....

Jack and Jeff checked out the scene outside on foot.

Uprooted trees were common due to over-saturation of the ground.

No power = No school for a week
As you can see the kids were devastated by these news.

Yet another uprooted tree...

The Evacuees!

After too many nights without power, and thus, air conditioning, we were rescued by Nana and Grandpa in Oklahoma. They booked the kids and I on the first flight out of Houston Hobby after the hurricane and spoiled us for a week. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! We totally enjoyed this unexpected vacation, which included Jack's first plane trip. I will post pictures of our visit there soon. (Notice Katja did not evacuate without her viola.)