I spent the weekend in Nauvoo Illinois at a YSA conference with my good MG friend Sarah (blog post and pictures to come...). It was rainy and windy and HUMID, but I heard that Nauvoo is always rainy and awful, so I didn't connect it to hurricane weather.
Then I tried to drive home to Kalamazoo last night. It should have taken about 4 hours from Sarah's house in Normal Illinois. But thanks to Ike- Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and many other midwest states were pounded with torrential rain that evacuated homes, flooded roads, and closed all the major highways that I knew how to take. After gridlock traffic jams, 100 extra miles worth of confusing detours, toll roads that I didn't have money for, and 3 extra hours of trying to find my way in blinding rain, I finally made it home safely... at 2:30 am.
This is a flavor of natural disaster that I'm not quite used to. I know that my Father in Heaven answers prayers because he made my gas tank last me 100 more miles than it should have. He helped me stay safe and calm in a very stressful and scary situation. He guided me home.
In my email today from Elder Morris I found out that the storm skirted around Seguin Texas where he is serving, and they only experienced light rain. We are both very lucky and blessed to be safe and dry in our own homes tonight. My heart goes out to all those who face more devastating circumstances from this storm.