Trifecta

This street is two blocks from our house

 Great Dismal Swamp fire... The East Coast Earthquake of 2011... Hurricane Irene...When it is all said and done, we have been fortunate to escape any serious damage doled out by Mother Nature. The fire resulted in poor air quality for southeastern Virginia and the earthquake provided a glimpse into what it might be like to live in California, although Californians roll their eyes when any comparison is made to their earthquakes. Irene has proven to be another story. From North Carolina to Vermont, wind and water have combined to become a deadly force. At least 42 people have died as a result of her fury. With over four billion dollars in damage and millions without power, there is a renewed sense of the power of these destructive natural disasters. Many of our neighbors evacuated to western Virginia. These are people who normally "ride out the storm." We can only imagine what the result would have been had this been a Category 3 hurricane rather than a Category 1.  People were waiting in line for hours to have a chance to purchase a gas generator.  After every power outage we swear that we will get one. This time we decided to make the investment in order to keep the refrigerator and a few lights running, and maybe a fan. We had no luck until Friday night, when we heard that a certain chain store that sells automotive equipment would be receiving a substantial shipment between 7:30 and 8:00PM. We arrived at 6:30, waited patiently, and purchased a generator. We went to bed that night knowing that we would at least have some electricity after the storm.

We expected to have water in our basement, and the generator would be a huge help in pumping out the water. Fortunately, the earth did her work and absorbed the rainwater (all 10 inches or so!). This fact alone amazes me. The damage to our home can be measured in multiple roof shingles blown throughout the neighborhood. No leaks, no structural damage.

The fan was truly a blessing during the 24 hours we ran our shiny, new, blue generator.

...and the Dismal Swamp Fire? Although dealt a blow by Irene, small areas continue to smolder.

image from WVEC news