Safe and Sound

We survived an ice storm. I don't think anyone here in KY was prepared for just how bad it was. We finally have Internet service and electricity. We were the lucky ones and only lost electricity for not quite 24 hours. Thank God for our wood burning stove. The same wood burning stove that I wanted to get rid of when we first moved in. It now has earned it's place in our family and will not be going anywhere.

We live in Hopkinsville and it was bad here but not as bad as it was in Madisonville, 45 min from here. My mom and Deana (my aunt) live in Madisonville, lost electricity on Tuesday at noon. I spent all day Tuesday on the phone with 20 different people trying to find out how we could get my mom out if the electricity did not come back on for a few days. I talked to the Emergency Management person, ambulance service and the House Supervisor at the Hospital. No one could really give me any answers.

Just for those who don't know. My mom is bed bound and has not walked or been in a car for a year. A year ago she broke her leg and because of her osteoporosis it has not healed very much even though they did surgery and they put plates and screws in it. She has several other medical problems also. She hasn't even been in a wheel chair for about 3 months. She is supposed to be getting a lift to get her in and out of her wheel chair but it is taking forever to get it to go through with Medicaid.

Anyway, there was no phone service Tuesday night so I could not get a hold of Mom and Deana to see if they were safe. I couldn't even get through to the police station, all phones were out and stayed out for about 4 days.

Tuesday night, after several hours, I found someone with a kerosene heater and Jose took it to them that night. It was treacherous but he made the trip there. Wednesday we found out that there wasn't anything open at all in Madisonville so we knew there was no way for them to get more Kerosene. Most of Hopkinsville (our town) was out of kerosene because everyone from the surrounding counties were coming here.

We finally found someone who had 3 gallons of kerosene and they gave it to us. All I can say is God was watching over us. I took the kerosene to them on Wed. night and Mom was not doing well. She was white as a sheet and shaking. The only time I have seen her look that bad was when we almost lost her a year ago.

There was nothing I could do that night, she wouldn't let me call 911 and I had been told there wasn't much they could do because the hospital would not admit her. We did not have enough people to move her and she was terrified of being moved because she has been dropped so many times.

I made sure they got the kerosene heater working and warmed up. Then I had to leave because there was no way of letting Jose know I was ok and I had to go to Hopkinsville for phone service so that I could coordinate getting mom out the next day.

Leaving them there is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I cried and prayed the whole way back for God to just take care of them and keep them safe until I could get back to get them out. I did not know how I was going to get mom out, only that I was.

I got home, helped Jose get the kids settled. We were still without electricity that night and the kids had a blast camping out in the living room in front of the wood stove.

I started making calls that night and found a sweet older lady that goes to the Center where Jose works to come over and watch the kids Thursday morning.

I called everywhere trying to find people who could help us get mom in our house and could not find anyone.
Jose and I went to Madisonville anyway on Thursday morning. We weren't sure what was going to happen, we just knew that mom was not doing well and we had to get her out. My mom's neighbor and her husband and brother came over to help lift mom.

When I got there on Thursday morning, mom looked so bad. She was freezing and dehydrated. We put her gate belt on her and the five of us got her in her wheel chair and then into the car. I am pretty sure she sprained her ankle while we were getting her into the car but at that point it was minor compared to what could have happened to her if we had not gotten her out.

We got her here and found two EMTs that helped get her into our house. When they pulled up I was not very confident because they were both pretty skinny guys but they pretty much lifted mom by themselves.

We put her in our room and had to take the door off and part of her wheel chair wheels off but we finally got her in our bed.

Jose and I are sleeping on the couches in the living room but I don't mind. I would sleep on the floor if I had to. I'm just so very thankful they are here and safe. And mom finally got to see our house for the first time.

They will probably be staying here a couple of months. Home health is supposed to be coming in tomorrow. We did not have to transfer to the agency here because Madisonville's home health has someone who works for them but lives here.

There have been 3 people who have died due to this ice storm. I did not know them but I am keeping their families in my prayers. I just pray that there are not more people who have not been found yet. I know the National Guard is now in Madisonville doing door to door checks.

I have been reminded once more what really is important in life. The little things that I let bother me from day to day just do not matter in the bigger scheme of things. I just wonder how many times I will have to be reminded of that. I remember it when I lose someone or face some tragedy but then I soon forget and need to be reminded once more.

Thank you God for keeping my family safe and please be with those families who have lost someone during this storm and be with the ones that have been affected by this and those who still do not have power.