Hurricane Matthew

Hurricane Matthew arrived on Saturday, October 8, 2016. The rain started in the afternoon and continued through the evening. Within an hour or so of rain, our backyard began flooding in the far corner. We weren't to concerned because this one area flood during every heavy rain storm. 

I tried to get a good picture of what was going on at night, but this is the best I got. I didn't think it was all that windy (compared to other storms) but our backyard was getting messy.

The rain stopped before midnight and the wind continued. By morning, the standing water on our property had dried up. Liam and I went outside to look at the damage. Fortunately we only found leaves and small branches. (You'll have to excuse the toddler; he's in a no pants phase right now.)

After lunch, I put Liam down for a nap and the older kids and I went outside to clean up the yard. They're getting better about actually helping me rake. One I was able to get most everything from the far corners of the yard into one area, they happily raked it to the gate.

We are so blessed that our home was spared during the storm. Living so close to the hospital, we did not lose power. I don't recall the lights even flickering.

Our new home was also spared, though a tree in our future neighbors yard fell and so my husband went over with the chainsaw to help them clean that up. They're long time friends of ours, making it less weird that they would call my husband about a tree in their yard. He was happy to help. We're all glad that the tree missed both houses.

Our town was not so lucky. The university cancelled classes for the week because much of their student housing (the off-campus apartments) were flooded. Much of the area on that side of town was under water. Schools were also cancelled, as they were being used as temporary shelters. Things only got worse during the week, as the rivers began to rise due to the rain waters flowing in from the central part of the state. National Guard showed up I think on Tuesday to survey the area with the mayor and other officials. All of the water was too much for our town to handle. The airport runway was a lake. It took days for that to drain and I am not sure if flights have resumed. So many people were without power and many homes were flooded. A week and a half later, and there are still a few people that have not been able to go back home, if there is even a home to go back to.

Some parts of the state, particularly the town of Lumberton, located in the central part of the state near the South Carolina border, were devastated. Some towns have come out and said that the damage from hurricane Matthew is worse than it was with Hurricane Floyd back in 1999.

We continue to count our blessings and pray for those who have lost so much.