Saturday, October 8th and beyond
About 4:00 AM we woke up to find the winds were pretty rough and the power was off. Tony grabbed a flashlight and went outside to start the generator. I collected candles and put them in most of the rooms. The truck was parked near the kitchen window, close enough for the cords to be lead through the window and into the kitchen. The cord for the kitchen had three outlets, one for the refrigerator, one for a lamp and another for the coffee pot. Another cord was extended to the family room and we used it to supply electricity for the lamp, and the phone chargers. The third cord was extended to the hallway so we could have light for everyone walking up and down the hall at night, especially for those bathroom trips.
Tony and I sat up for a few hours using our phones to look at weather reports. My parents have a gas stove so all we needed was a lighter or matches to light the eyes on the stove. After finding a lighter I cooked breakfast. The lighter was on its last leg so it only made sparks which was enough to light the stove. Once we got an eye lit we left a candle burning by the stove to make sure we could continue using the stove top. As others got up we had all the cords in place and power for a few rooms. Tony stayed up longer but I turned in shortly after 6:30 AM. As I lay on the bed listening to the roar of the wind, I prayed for the trees not to hit the house or the vehicles. When the sky lightened more, I could see the trees bend under the pressure of the mighty force of the wind. It was a bit scary to watch the trees sway and hear the rustling of the trees and the leaves so I continued to pray and finally fell asleep.
By about 10 AM we saw there were a total of six trees down in my parents’ yard which included a very large pecan tree close to the back door and it fell away from the house. A pine tree between my parents’ yard and their neighbors fell across the driveway. A medium sized oak tree in the wooded lot across the street fell into my parents’ yard and with it went a transformer and wires. We were extremely blessed that none of the trees hit the house or vehicles.
As the day progressed, we estimated damage along the street, checked on neighbors and family members. We walked around outside to check on the chickens, they were stressed but safe. The sound of the generator’s engine was constantly heard in the background as it worked to keep vital rooms in the house supplied with electricity. We stayed in Orangeburg until the following Saturday. Tony went back and forth to work from Orangeburg to Charleston, which is actually a shorter distance than from our house on St. Helena. Peter was called back to work and went home since we were told that the power was back on though it was still off in Orangeburg. We found out later that the power was not on back home. We hoped to have Peter get in touch with family who stayed during the storm so they could help him but we had trouble getting in touch with him. We were able to get some friends to check on him and they helped him get his flat tire repaired.
By Friday power returned to my parents’ house and we made preparations to return home. By Saturday afternoon we had everything packed and loaded in the truck and the car, and on the trailers, too. A few of the chickens got out and we captured all but one, we left her behind, said our goodbyes and hit the road for St. Helena Island. Just before dusk we arrived and began unpacking. We found all the ducks, roosters, the guinea and turkey we left behind were alive and well. The returning brood was happy to be back in their familiar digs.
Over the next few days we caught up on things with Peter, checked on the condition of the house, out buildings and the plants in the field. We had just a bit of damage to the siding of the house, some plants were lost but the overwhelming majority were still there. Intense weeding or should I say, de-grassing, of the field began. We are indeed thankful to God for the protection He provided and the minimal damage both at our home and that of my parents’.