Thursday, January 21, 2010

Today I'm Prepared


This has been a really strange day. Lightning and a small tornado just a over a mile from where my swimming exercise classes are held. And...just down the street from my son-in-laws folk's home. We sure picked the right way home. The highway toward the beach was closed (the 33) and so we went back the way we came, though the mountains and Upper Ojai, with lightning all around us and rain so hard that we couldn't see the lines in the road. The lightning even knocked-out an emergency Stop-Light. Scary winding through there. What if we met another car on the one lane road?

Ventura County Star Newspaper Picture

The call first started as a roof of a building had blown-off, but then there were uprooted trees and lots of "debris" "We have debris!" Remember the movie, "Twister"? The tornado must have been a water-spout just coming off the ocean and up our Santa Clara River. Just guessing, but the power was so intense. Actually, the whole storm is intense. I don't know how all this clay earth holds the water!

We just drove in the areas in the video below. We went over to see the waves and they are a lot bigger than the short video shows. More damage to our pier, but so far, fixable. I wanted this hat so Steve and I came home and he fed the animals and we went just about behind the mud-scrapper. It poured and harder than I have ever seen it. Hail, and a huge thunder-storm rolled through before we could get home. Hikers were trapped at Ferndale near St. Thomas Aquinas College and the helicopter hovered over the area. Ten fire trucks went up there and they had a swift water rescue. All are safe by the heroic effort of the trained responders to the scene. We saw all the action, but of course, we were really trying to make it home. I really needed a hat to do the chores over Steve's fire-duty days. I still have my hat on.

My husband Steve... teaches CERT and that acronym stands for Community Emergency Response Training. The classes are probably the biggest he has ever had and he is being asked from everyone to come in an train offices, schools, and do more classes. Heavenly Father blesses us with more classes, but it is so sad it took the disaster in Haiti to encourage people to really come. Not all of them, but he had about sixteen walk-ins at least, in each class so that they could start there preparedness plans. Alan, the other teacher, that has classes going right now, also had over thirty walk-ins. I love the work Steve acquires to help Kiely go to school, but the circumstances are so terribly sad. Our prayers are with the people of Haiti, their families, and the many volunteers that are attending to the country's needs.

The rain is pounding and I'm glad I'm in my warm living room with even a heater. I'm so grateful for it the heater. I remember seeing the cabins in the snowing country in Central Utah and wonder how they endured such hardships.

I do know we will have a picture perfect spring and summer. Oh the greens, all the gardens, and ranches with lots of fruit. We know, that floods are part of living near the crik, Da' River right now. Two of my married girls and their families are listening to the boulders roll down the canyon raging muddy water. I can hear them like so many times in my life. My son is hearing the waves batter the Ventura Marina Beach. So far, my sheep are not giving birth yet. Whew...Yes, and I still have my hat on.

This video was posted on the Ventura County Star Internet site.




1 comment:

jenkinsfamliypost said...

this has been a stormy week to remember!