Wake Up Call
Those of us not on duty talked, ate, and watched the news. We still had power and air conditioning. As it turns out, there were plenty of pets here. Bear could have come here after all I suppose, but I am glad they are in Baton Rouge. That gives me less to worry about and keep up with.
I began to fade at 12:30 am or so and the storm was still quite mild. Fortunately, I brought a blanket and pillow. I pulled up a spot thinly carpeted concrete slab and tried for sleep. My bed at home is considerably softer, but I went to sleep straight away. Lying there looking up at the ceiling in the business office, thoughts were circulating in my head like the hurricane outside. What will this day bring?
3:37 am: I awoke to the sound of wind above me. Sheets of rain were been driven into the roof. I could tell the power was lost, but the generator was running and some lights are working. Generator power gives us lights, some outlets, but no AC. I am in my office right now using my computer hooked up to one of the powered outlets. I had to dial in because our DSL line is out.
I was wide awake, so I put my shoes on and walked out to the lobby. The wind and rain were pulsating like a lawn sprinkler on steroids. A few moments of hard, sideways, wind driven rain, followed by lesser wind and vertical rain. It sounds pretty ominous, but this is only the tropical storm force winds, up to 50 mph. Before Katrina let's us go, the winds will be three times this strong.
Still, it is a fascination and me and some of the other men stood out under the over hang to watch and feel this phenomenon. As I type this, I can hear the wind howling and rain hitting the roof like the soundtrack of an old B movie, but this is real.
Standing in the lobby, we noticed lights on across the street. We discussed why they had power, and why we did not. About that time, the echoing, arcing sound of a transformer occurred and the lights went out. In the next two minutes we heard three more transformers blow. That put an end to the "Why do they have lights conversation."
It is 4:45 am now and I suppose I am up for the duration. My next task is to couple my coffee pot with a powered outlet and begin a caffeine transfusion.
We are hanging in there, but the worst is yet to come.
Until the next time
John Strain