Sunday morning we woke up to no power as Fiona moved in overnight. It’s interesting how the temperature dropped and was in the low to mid 70s instead of the 80s. And what a difference it makes to find yourself with no power and no fans or ac, but we felt fine because the air was so much cooler. Joshs flight was obviously cancelled and our stake conference had been cancelled until next week already so we knew we didn’t have to be anywhere Sunday at all. And a good thing too because from the minute we woke up it was constant and pretty intense rain the whole day. Mixed with winds that went from mild-moderate-heavy at times but were also pretty consistently there. It was just what I thought it might be in the middle of a hurricane. We have a big wrap around covered porch and the west side of the house was completely shielded from the wind and rain blowing in from the east. So we spent most of the day sitting outside and watching mother nature take hold of everything surrounding us. The winds and the rains got crazy at times and we heard and saw huge trees break off and fall right behind our house in the jungle. Water pooled up in our yard and ran like a small river down the road from our house. The bottom level did start to fill up and drain water through it just like we thought it probably would and we were so grateful for our preparations to get everything out of there or off the floor. Meanwhile Beck and Desh filled up some extra gallon jugs of water with the hose and kept those in case we also lose water. And…we ate! We are in love with this grill/griddle we bought and even more now that we can still cook on it with the power out. Josh made yummy tacos for us while we watched the storm go by.
Sunday night we had church by candlelight and then fired up the generator to make pina coladas for dessert. We talked about how blessed we are to have a sturdy house and the essentials we need while the storm is happening around us. Mostly just a great day of feeling gratitude for the protection we were receiving.
And so many people reaching out reminding us that we’re being thought of and prayed for. I don’t think we ever felt like we were in danger, and I know it’s because we were being comforted by a Heavenly Father who listens to all those prayers being said. We just felt so much love pouring in.
Monday morning we woke up to more rain but not the heavy winds like we had Sunday. It was obvious that the hurricane had moved on but we were still getting the tail of the storm circling around us and dropping tons of rain in its wake. We also started to see the magnitude of damage that Fiona had caused when it came through and how many people had been left with flooding towns and homes. We feel a bit isolated up on the mountain and don’t always see or know what’s happening around us, but as we saw pictures come through on Facebook we realized how protected we actually are up on the hill as the rain and water drained down to the valleys. I wish we knew exactly how much rain we got but some places reported 30 inches in those 24 hours. That’s an incredible amount of water and the rivers just swelled up and ran over flooding homes and neighborhoods. In the central and south part of the island where the hurricane hit hardest there are whole towns under water, bridges that have collapsed and roads completely washed out. It’s so crazy to see all the damage happening on the island. The rain let up a little bit and we took a walk around our small neighborhood to see how everyone was doing up our way. Lots of broken trees and bushes and some small areas where the road has started to tear up but for the most part we did ok. We settled in for another day of lots of rain and letting the storm pass. We played tons of games and had a Spanish lesson and of course took naps whenever we could! Still no power all over the island and with no power we also have no internet. We started to realize that maybe getting Josh rescheduled for a new flight out of here might be the best idea so he can get at least some kind of work done while we’re recovering from the hurricane.
Monday night we had to get out of the house. We loaded up and drove to the beach (you know since it’s Monday and all) and were happy to just be outside. We all posed in front of this incredible angel art and then wandered along the beach and up the pier. The water was so calm it was almost eery, like every bit of energy had been taken away with the storm. It was crazy but so beautiful.
On the pier we found a few guys fishing and catching small bait fish with a net and then dropping them into bucket. It was so fun to watch them do their job. Liev cleverly named this Fishterra Beach because we didn’t know what it was called exactly and it fit with what was happening around us. Rhen hates the name but we’re going with it :) That night we watched the most incredible thunder/lightning storm around us and were in awe at how close it seemed to be!
That night we went to bed with no power or water from the city still.
Tuesday Josh and I got up early and headed into town to see what the state of the towns look like and check out what might possibly be open. We found the gym closed :( but Home Depot was up and running with lights and ac and all! We wandered around and found a few more extension cords that we’re realizing we need, got a couple more cases of water and hoped to be able to change out our small propane tanks for new ones. They were unfortunately out of propane so off we went to find somewhere that might have them. We didn’t have to go too far, just across the street to a little shop that I’ve never really noticed before but ended up being a gem to find! It’s a baking supply store and had lots of things that I haven’t been able to find at regular grocery stores including yeast! I was so excited to find it. And another miracle is they had propane and were able to trade out our used ones for new ones. Double win on that little store!
Tuesday Josh and I got up early and headed into town to see what the state of the towns look like and check out what might possibly be open. We found the gym closed :( but Home Depot was up and running with lights and ac and all! We wandered around and found a few more extension cords that we’re realizing we need, got a couple more cases of water and hoped to be able to change out our small propane tanks for new ones. They were unfortunately out of propane so off we went to find somewhere that might have them. We didn’t have to go too far, just across the street to a little shop that I’ve never really noticed before but ended up being a gem to find! It’s a baking supply store and had lots of things that I haven’t been able to find at regular grocery stores including yeast! I was so excited to find it. And another miracle is they had propane and were able to trade out our used ones for new ones. Double win on that little store!
We did end up getting Josh a flight off the island as the power and internet outage continue throughout the island. We got him packed up and then he walked me around the house and showed me all the things I might need to know for the coming days. Water valves for the city, water valves from the cistern, how to change the oil on the generator (which I’ll have to do in the next day or two if we need the generator much longer), instructions on when the garbage guy comes, checking the level on the cistern on the roof (and figured out that we have 450 gallons still of our 600 gallon tank), and all the things that I may need to know while he’s gone. I’m so grateful that he’s so prepared and I feel completely comfortable knowing what to do while he’s gone. We’ve figured out that we get the best water pressure in the outside shower and have taken to having our daily showers down there. It’s chilly but worth it after sweating all day in a warm and damp house :) The family keeps asking how we’re doing and I sent this out on day 3 of our power and water outage:
Today is Wednesday and we’re starting to realize that we may be without power and water for a lot longer than we actually anticipated. Lots of Luma and city trucks can be found everywhere working hard to get things back up and running so I know things are in the works. But it’s looking like it will take some time. In the meantime we’re trying to figure out anything to keep us occupied throughout the day. The kids are out of school for now and with no source of power to take up our time, we’ve been forced to be imaginative. Real life smash bros, clay art turned body armor, hide and seek, dead man cacoons, and everything else under the sun. We’ve dubbed cover your assets as our official Fiona game and have played at least 470 rounds of it in the past 4 days. All the creatures have come out as well with all the rain and now the sun, so we’re finding ourselves with lots of bites in the morning and critters crawling around everywhere. Some harmless and some just really gross. Today we took chrome books down the hill to the church and hoped that it might be a place we could find power and internet access. Without being able to get on from home, the girls have really fallen behind in the online classes they’re taking from home. These days would be perfect days to get caught up on everything! Praise the heavens that we were able to get the logged on and working away on school! This may just be what saves our school year if we can keep it going. Thanks church!
We’ve settled into a routine of having the generator on a few hours a day and cooling down with the fans on, early dinners, games and books before bed. It’s a simple but good life we’re living right now.
What we’re really feeling is just an incredible amount of gratitude for what we feel are true blessings amidst the storms. We’re safe, healthy, together, have plenty of water, a working generator, now have a place to get schoolwork done and a home that keeps us protected. We are truly blessed and know we have a loving Heavenly Father watching over us. Many many of our beloved Puerto Ricans are suffering. We hope they can find recovery and peace as well and hope to be able to help in any way we can.
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