When something is happening in the world around me I stop to think about all the wonderful things I have had in my life. The things that have made a good impact on my life. This community called the Active Rain Real Estate Network never ceases to amaze me when people band together and actually become friends through their contact along the "Long and Winding Road of Blogging". This is the series of events for the past couple of days:
First we get the news. Hurricane Flossie is headed toward the state of Hawaii. - Then it become a Hurricane Warning and turns to a Category 4 Hurricane by yesterday morning.
- Then an earthquake (5.3 magnitude) hits the Big Island of Hawaii (the biggest island and south in our Hawaiian Island Chain) yesterday.
- A wildfire on our island of Oahu in Waialua on the North Shore is out of control and burned over 3,000 acres and the fires leaping up to 40 ft. in the air. Residents are on standby for evacuation as it is nearing residential housing area.
- Then the Hurricane turns to a Category 2 over night and now it looks as though it's going to hit the southeast part of the island of Hawaii (Big Island).
- Currently Hurricane Flossie is 130 miles from the Big Island and sustaining winds of 110 mph and surf is already at 20 ft.
- And...if the Hurricane stays on course then it will pass south of the rest of our islands. (picture courtesy of Hawaiian Islands Directory) Remember, I am on Oahu (Honolulu County)
At 6:15am this morning my phone rang and it was Neal Bloom checking on me to make sure everything was okay over here with Hurricane Flossie nearing. We chatted for awhile and it really felt nice to know that he cared and called.
Then I received two emails; one from Stephanie Edwards and one from Mathew Bloom. I have had many caring comments on the post I wrote about *UPDATE/ Hurricane FLOSSIE* Hawaii : Paradise and Pacific Horror Stories and I have been updating as the hours pass. Then Stephanie Edwards calls. She was calling about the earthquake. I told her it's on the other island of Hawaii. What caring friends I have.
And then I look on my post from last night. And there is Broker Bryant ...first thing he says. Hope you're going to be safe...in their prayers. Nice to know I have friends who think of me when something like this is going on. I tell you what. Then I go to other posts and people are seeing me post and posting a "be safe" and all that. Wow.
Wailua Wildfire picture courtesy of KGMB 9 news.
I spent yesterday trying to get everything together and then I started thinking about Hurricane Katrina.
My daughter lived in New Orleans when they got word that Hurricane Katrina was headed towards them. Luckily, they were moving (husband in Marines) and they were on their way to Biloxi two days before Katrina hit. Of course, mom in Hawaii has no clue except to watch the news. Then it's headed to Mississippi too! I call and tell her to get out of there and her husband is trying to go back on the Interstate through Louisiana to get to Texas (their next base). I am on the phone with them telling them to go north. They turn north. Louisiana Interstate 10 is backed up. They make it to Texas right when Katrina hits. I think about all the "what ifs" since Hurricane Katrina. My daughter is here in Hawaii now. My son in home from the Navy now.
And I'm not ashamed to admit it. I am afraid of being in the middle of any type of natural disaster! They're all unpredictable.
I have already gone to a re-inspection this morning and rushed back home. My son and husband are at work. My daughter just called and on her way over. My dog is afraid of the wind and clawed at the screen door to come in. So what am I doing? I'm being grateful that I have a place to go right now. Here on Active Rain and with wonderful people and friends I have made along my journey.
(yes, I started blogging with my leg up on my desk and my arm curled under my leg to get to the keyboard. My husband pointed this out a couple of weeks ago telling me that 'I am just getting tooooo comfortable with blogging...hehe)
Thank you all for your support. You all really don't know how much it means to me and you'll never know just how much of an impact you have made on my life.
(the picture to the right shows our 200 mile wide storm....the eye may be 80 miles south of the Big Island but look how huge this storm is!)
"MY LEGACY IS ALL ABOUT THE QUALITY OF RELATIONSHIPS I HAVE WITH OTHERS And..... Without that quality, tell me.....what is a friendship worth?"
4:45pm PST: Hurricane Flossie took a slight northward turn and the Big Island is starting to get hit....will come back in a half hour after the news.
5:30pm PST: I was watching the news while talking to Jeff Dowler! Yup...he called right when I started watching the 2 hour special.
Here's what's going on:
- The hurricane is still 100 miles from the Big Island and a strong Category 2
- There were guys surfing and taking advantage of the huge waves
- Some rain/high winds started
- Newslady's hat blew off
- The Waialua out of control fire on the North Shore of Oahu has now burned 5,000 acres.
6:30pm PST:
The news people just said that by time it's directly under the south point of the Big Island at 2am our time it will downgrade to a Category 1 and our island of Oahu will just catch some wind and rain. You guys think we're in the clear now? I hope so!
August 15, 2007; 5:50am PST
Because Hawaii does not see Hurricanes come this close...let alone hit us....we were all on pins and needles watching the latest reports throughout the day yesterday. I want to thank our Civil Defense and Weather people keeping us informed. This storm was definitely keeping us on our toes throughout the last couple of days. I want to thank all of you that kept me company yesterday as well with your caring comments and calls.
I was actually afraid of all that was going on.
Hurricanes are unpredictable and this one sure threw us for a loop. It upgraded when it was supposed to downgrade...it shifted a little north yesterday when it was supposed to keep going west and then before it was supposed to hit the south end of the Big Island it downgraded to a Tropical Storm with winds of 70mph. The Big Island was soaked but it is expected to just bring Oahu some high winds, surf and some rain.
And that's that for Hurricane Flossie!
Celeste "Sally" Cheeseman's Mililani Hawaii Real Estate Blog 2007
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