The day after

Irene packed a punch. Those gusty winds blew the tree in directions I didn't know trees could blow without snapping. The sky lit up green. Trees blew down. Branches broke off. Leaves everywhere. The little creek by my place is now a river. It runs over the concrete pathways.

There were warnings and I was prepared. I'd filled a few pots with water. I had enough food for days. It was my first hurricane.

There was power all night until bed. I watched movies and read.

During the night, I was woken by strange noises and the sky flashing green and white. It was a bit spooky. Was this some weird terrorism act that had turned the sky green (this close to DC, you never know) or just the transformers? The wind blew and blew. The trees bowed down and stayed there before springing half way back only to be bent over again.

The power went out before sunrise and only for a few hours. I wouldn't have known but for the flashing time on the oven.

I went out during the day. I had some apartments to see. Leaves were strewn about like ticker tape after a parade. Branches were down. It was quiet. There were few cars on the road and fewer people on the street. There was no flooding like I'd expected. The roads were in good condition. The sky was beautiful and clear.

I went for a walk in the afternoon, paying a visit to the bike path I frequented. The stream that had been less than an inch deep in some areas now covered the rocks and raged. A cement path that went over the river was covered with surging water.

Millions were without power. There was terrible flooding up north. Roads had been washed out and people were stranded. The big storm I'd wished for had come in the night and quickly moved on to wreak havoc elsewhere.

My thoughts go out to those who lost their lives to Irene.