They say you should run from the water and hide from the wind. In other words run from any where you could be in a storm surge or flooding conditions. If you have a secure house or building, then hide from the wind.
They also say if you choose to ride out a storm, then prepare to be totally on your own for at least 72 hours. At least 72 hours without electricity, water, stores, gasoline, anything. Since you didn’t have sense enough to evacuate, don’t gripe and complain, just hunker down and take it.
At a time like this you can get bitter and condemn God and government. Or you can be thankful. The storm could have been worse and I could have lost everything. Some were flooded. Some lost their homes. Some had a huge tree fall on and destroy their home and or vehicles. Church members and I discussed how even without electricity and outside help, we were still better off than most people in the world. God has blessed us greatly. Some of us also confided that most of our problems now were because of our own lack of preparation.
KTRH 740 AM radio said that 7,000 utility workers from outside our area were headed our way. Pray for them. Sunday the Lord led me to put the following on our church sign, “UTILITY WORKERS & FIRST RESPONDERS. MAY GOD BLESS YOU!”
Sunday morning we had no power or water at the church. Most churches were closed. “Closed due to lack of power” could make a good sermon illustration for some of you preachers. All my family was directly affected since Hurricane Ike was so huge. My two brothers and I are all pastors in this part of the country. Steve’s church in Rosharon was closed today. I just showed up this morning with Northside still without electricity or water. Jack and Wendy Cone showed up, so we had a total of three in attendance. Mark’s church in Brazoria beat us bad; they had seven in attendance.
About a month ago my brothers, two nephews and a friend, John Swango, started repairing and putting a new roof on my mother’s house in Lake Jackson, TX. We also took down a large ash tree with a hollow trunk that overhung her house. The ash tree was huge, as big as ash trees get. Ash trees have brittle wood and limbs would occasionally fall on her house. The work was completed the Tuesday before Ike struck on Friday. That ash tree would surely have destroyed her house when Ike hit. Trees were down all over Lake Jackson. Trees that had never blown down before! There is some relatively minor damage, but mom’s roof and house are in good shape. Thank God that He led us to take care of the roof and tree just before the hurricane.
I discovered I had an old can of sterno® but no grill to set over it to warm food. Sterno is fuel in a can. Take off the top, light it, and it produces a low heat flame. Caterers often use it to keep their food warm. Did you know that you can put a can of sterno in an open pot, take out the grill from the oven and place it on top of the pot, then place an opened can of food on top. Open a can of green beans, don’t drain the juice, and drop in a cube of beef bullion. Place it over the lighted sterno and before long you have some mighty good green beans. Works with chunky soup too. Especially when you’re hungry. Next time I’ll have plenty of sterno.
Sunday morning at 9:04 the first utility truck that I had seen drove by the church. Then I started to see them pass by often. I prayed for them all! A couple of trucks honked as they drove by, perhaps noticing our church sign. 12:30 pm power came on at the church for about five minutes. A couple of hours later it came on for a few seconds. Neighbors to the church asked me to tell them when the power came on since they had disconnected their electricity. At 4:00 pm Sunday I got to tell both neighbors the power was on for good. Thank the Lord for electricity.
Without electricity, and knowing I had no electricity, I would still catch myself flipping the light switch every time I entered a room. You just can’t help it. Now with electricity back on at church, when I go to another room I still look for a candle or a flashlight.
Sunday night there is still no electricity at home. Just between you and me, I’m spending the night at church. One of the pastoral perks. The front yards in my neighborhood now have large piles of tree limbs next to the road. Everyone assuming the county will eventually pick them up. Wet things in homes without electricity are starting to mold and smell. Most homes in Highlands are still without electricity. A number of roads are still blocked by trees and downed power lines.
From what I’ve gathered so far, our Northside congregation seems to have come through the storm very well. One good thing about a hurricane, it brings neighbors and strangers together.
Many were hurt far worse than us. Pray for them. Pray for the utility workers and first responders. Southern Baptists will once again shine as their Disaster Relief units and workers show up from across the country. Ours is the third largest disaster relief organization in the country. Only Red Cross and Salvation Army are larger. Southern Baptist Disaster Relief is an outstanding ministry and witness to the world.
What can you do? After praying, one of the best things you could do is to give to disaster relief through your church and the North American Mission Board (namb.net) and International Mission Board (imb.org). Why the IMB? Remember what Ike did to Haiti and Cuba, and other disasters around the world.
We serve an awesome God. Sometimes we get to “praise Him in the storm.”
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-David R. Brumbelow, Highlands, Texas. September 14, AD 2008
Brumbelow is pastor of Northside Baptist Church, Highlands, Texas USA.
