Well THAT was exciting!

Around 6:45 this morning, moments after Michael and the twins left for school and work, the lights went off. As I was stumbling around in the dark, I heard a rumble outside and saw the grill rolling around on our patio outside. We've seen strong winds before, so I knew immediately that I needed to roll that sucker inside. As soon as I slid the patio doors open, the wind began to pick up, blowing the grill from one corner of the patio to the other and knocking over a heavy mahogany chair. I waited for a lull then ducked out to push the patio furniture up against the wall and roll the grill inside. I kept seeing bright flashes from the street below and when I finally stopped to watch, I realized a power line must have been going down. Bright white fireworks seemed to march down the road and then, everything went dark. Next, the rain kicked in, blowing sideways, so I ducked back into the flat and locked the door.

And that's when it got really bad.

Rain begins blowing in through all the southward-facing doors and windows. Pouring over windowsills and jumping over door jambs. I throw towels down, but they are immediately soaked though. I lift curtain hems and electrical cords off the floor, and hope to goodness that the windows hold. Just in case, I lower the blinds. Wind has found its way into our kitchen via a ventilation shaft and the door to the shaft is swinging open and shut. Then hail starts to pelt the windows. I decide now is a good time to grab Dane, close all the doors and take shelter in an interior hallway. All the while, I am dialing Michael's cell phone over and over again. The line is dead. And three-fifths of my family is out in this storm and about to drive over a long, exposed bridge. I don't even bother to act calm for Dane's sake...

And just like that, it's over.

This solid-mahogony folding table and chair were blown clear across the patio.
I'd guess each one weighs 15-20 pounds 

Screen doors blown off.

Damage to the thatched roof of our pool cabana.

My wet kitchen. It's hard to see the water, but you can judge
from the footprints how wet the rug is.

A few minutes later, I finally get through to Michael. They are fine. "It was exciting!" he says. In the background, I can hear Nathan agree. (Men!) My neighbor Keisa calls, and we chatter nervously, amazed at what just happened and pointing out all the damage we can see from our apartment windows.

Two hours later, it is time to take Dane to school, but Ade calls from the side of the road to tell us he can't get through. Too many trees are down. All roads back to the flat are blocked. Half an hour later, he calls again. He made it. The roads are already being cleared (why can't the government handle everything so efficiently?). I am all for keeping Dane home from school, but he wants to go: "I want to see the trees that fell down!" he says. (Men!) So off we go, driving into oncoming traffic because people are driving on whatever side of the road is not blocked by debris. In addition to trees, billboards, communication towers and fences are down. Roofs are blown off. Palm trees are snapped in half or stripped naked. But we make it school safely, and back again.



Hear Ade tell a story about the last time he saw such a storm...


Still, I have to admit to all the men in my family ... it WAS pretty exciting.