The Aftermath of Hurricane Jeanne

Here are some pictures I took today in Waycross and Homerville:


























































Please download Java(tm).


We are much more fortunate than those residing in Florida. However, many people I've spoken with admitted they were awake most of the night due to the various sounds they kept hearing: wind, heavy rain, flying objects hitting the house.

A lucky few were able to have little or no interruption of their electrical services. I was not one of those lucky people. It's inconvenient at best, life-threatening at worst, when you have to do without electrical power. We don't realize just how dependent we are on things like that until we're forced to do without them.

The first thing I missed was the air conditioner. It may have been cool outside, but the humidity made it unpleasant. What's worse, our windows are temporarily boarded up, so it got warmer as well as humid inside. As grateful as I was to be someplace safe, I was miserable. Even in the winter, I sleep with a fan blowing on me every night.

The second thing I missed was being able to use my CPAP machine to sleep. No air conditioner, no fan, no CPAP. Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well last night, even though I was in a recliner so my head would be elevated (still not as comfortable as my waterbed). I think I finally conked out after the Benedryl took effect. It didn't keep me from waking up when I stopped breathing in my sleep. Dad woke me up at 6 AM. By then, my clothes were soaked in sweat, and still no electricity. Oh yeah, you bet your sweet bippy I got a cold shower ... and enjoyed it immensely!

During the weekend, I watched the weather channel and viewed several weather web sites, keeping an eye on Jeanne. I repeatedly debated on whether or not to go to work that weekend to get some required paperwork done, then stay home during the hurricane. By Sunday morning, it looked like the storm was moving west, so I decided to not worry about it anymore. Guess what? It started getting rainy and gusty around 8 PM last night. I was trying to stay up for the 11 PM update on the storm system on intellicast.com. Just before 11 PM rolled around, our power went out.

Work was a little chaotic today, but it wasn't too bad. I drove 32 miles in the wind and rain to get to work, and many of the more local employees called in, saying they wouldn't be coming in "due to the weather" or "I have no electricity." I guess my presence blew those excuses. It wasn't that bad outside; the worst of it was over with and moved north. As for electricity; they knew it was going to get bad and power outages were likely, so why not get ready for it? Now, if these people lived on dirt roads, and the road was the only way to their house and that same road was flooded or undriveable, I could understand their not coming in. However, that's not the excuse they used.

I'm surprised I'm still awake and functioning enough to write this entry. Maybe it's my nerves -- that would explain the extended trips to the bathroom I've made all day -- giving me that adrenaline to stay awake and function somewhat. I know living in a house with no windows right now is making me a little neurotic. I feel like it's stuffy in here, and I need air. I'm trying hard to keep my hands off the thermostat because I'm afraid Dad will get mad and turn OFF the air conditioner if I make it too cool in here. To compromise, I sit in front of a fan at my computer.

I was told the electricity did not come back on until after 4:00 PM today. That's the longest I've ever had to do without electricity -- seventeen hours. I'm glad I went to work today. Heck, getting into my truck this morning to go to work was a thrill -- I got to run my air conditioner :-P