Nasty fire ants and big snakes. Thanks to Hurricane Ike and then its afterbirth of rain this morning, not only humans are looking for higher ground. Fire ants have taken flight , while underneath snakes of impressive length – 20 feet and more – are looking for refuge.
Meanwhile, power remained out at most residences and businesses in the county which meant while refrigerators and freezers were giving up the ghost, people weren’t able to go out to eat. What was driven home was even if you were able to charge your cell phone in the car, you couldn’t call or text anyone because the reception was so bad.
Some folks jumped right on clearing up the debris in their yards, and tried to prop up the fencing – others just went wow and headed for their coolers. In the great scheme of things, who can tell who was closer to God?
Hightower High School’s T-shacks in Missouri City took a direct hit, and its tennis court fence was pretty crumpled. Over at rival Elkins High, it looked like there was a lot less damage – at least not to the outside of the school.
Dangling power lines were everywhere, traffic lights out, but so far people were being pretty cordial about having every intersection being a four-way stop. Next up, whether and where schools will be open, a.k.a. “don’t we get something good out of this?”
— Margaret Downing
This article appears in Sep 11-17, 2008.
