September 10, 2017
We’ve been home for 12 days. It feels good to be home, but it’s still pure chaos. Sleep is still eluding me. I just woke up from a dream that we were evacuating all over again…. *sigh* My heart and thoughts go out to all of those who are and will be affected by Hurricane Irma. I’m woken by nightmares more days than I’m not. Evacuations. Hurricanes. Fires.
The amount of moisture in our apartment remains too high for the smoke detectors to be plugged in. I hate that… and it feeds my fears of more bad things happening.
The kids are finally starting to feel better. Thank goodness. It’s been tough going through everything we are and them not feeling well too.
Today, the demo team showed up. The lady in charge tells me how it will all go down. She eases my concerns. Within 5 minutes, everything she said went out the window and I have 10 guys in my apartment ripping up baseboards and hauling crap out. We find out that 2 pieces of furniture are ruined. The kids’ bookcase is one of those. Luckily their books are fine, but there was mildew on the bottom of the bookcase and therefore, on the carpet too. They throw out the bookcase and treat the carpet. We’ll see if it will be replaced later… or not.
They bring in a dehumidifier to suck up all of the excess moisture from the air. 8 industrial fans are also brought in to help dry out the walls, trim and floor. It’s loud as hell and we don’t know exactly when all of this will be over.
The lady in charge said they’d clean up the mess they made when pulling out the baseboards. Big fat negative. Instead, they just turned on the industrial fans and let the drywall dust blow around. It doesn’t matter how much I clean or vacuum now. There’s dust everywhere.
Kevin, Leala, Evan, Legacy and I will all be staying in mine and Kevin’s bedroom and using only our bathroom, until all of this is settled. Luckily, those two rooms were untouched by Harvey. Our new safe haven.
By the end of the day, my throat hurts. I’m sick. With all the crap that got stirred up in the apartment, I’m sick. Great. Just what I need.
The kids are just barely feeling better… I hope this doesn’t make them worse.
September 11, 2017
We leave and go to the beach to get a break from all the noise and dry air in the apartment. I’m still sick, but the fresh air helps.
September 13, 2017
They came and got the fans and dehumidifier today. Drywall dust is everywhere. I can barely breathe. I’m hot and sweaty. My throat is killing me, but I need this crap out of our apartment. I need clean air. I need a clean home again, even if I don’t have baseboards. I spend more than 3 hours cleaning up the mess that was left.
September 14, 2017
I’m still sick, but feeling better, especially with cleaner air in the apartment. We still haven’t replaced the kids’ bookcase and I’m determined to not need to replace it. ALL of this stuff could have been gone. We could have lost it all. And would all of it had mattered? Would we have missed ALL of it? I doubt it. Cue the “big purge.” I am really good at going through our stuff throughout the year and selling or donating things we don’t need. But this is different. My perspective is different.
I start going through the kids’ toys and clothes. I go through their books and games. I gather anything and everything that they don’t love or use and I put it all in a big donation pile in the living room. I start with the kids’ room, but I quickly move on to the living room, kitchen, our bedroom, closets, bathrooms, etc.
It feels great to clear out our space, and even more so to donate all of it to those who have lost everything.
I refuse to live in a space filled with things that aren’t important. It’s just clutter and it’s taking up space in our home and our minds.
November 22, 2017
Months have gone by. Hurricane Harvey has disrupted our lives for months now, and yet we still consider ourselves lucky.
Today, we got baseboards! The restoration team came in and tore out a little more of the baseboards and installed new ones. They patched up the walls and did a quick paint job. Our home actually looks like a home again.
Just in time for Thanksgiving tomorrow. Oh, how thankful I am.
August 25,2018
A year ago today, Harvey made landfall. A year ago today, the Texas coast was devastated. A year ago today, our lives changed.
Hurricane Harvey essentially picked up our lives and spun it around, without a care in the world. But through the fear, through the destruction, through it all, there were lessons to be learned. Lessons about acceptance. Lessons about surrendering and receiving. Lessons about perseverance and resilience. Lessons about the important things in our lives. Lessons that we will keep with us for the rest of our lives.
Harvey gave us experiences that shape who we have become. It gave us memories and stories to tell. It gave us a new perspective on life.
It left us with reminders of things we already knew. Victoria is the place for us. When shit hits the fan, we will be okay. Support can come from the least expected sources. When everything is said and done, our family – my husband and kids – is what matters most to me.
A year later, we are still recovering. The coast is still recovering. The towns. The homes. The piers. The hearts and souls of us all. We are still recovering. Accepting. Healing.
I saw a quote a couple of months after Hurricane Harvey hit and it has stuck with me since then.
This is why we stay. This is why we live here.
To read more of the story:
Part 1 – Harvey – A Storm Is Brewing
Part 2 – Harvey – In The Path
Part 3 – Harvey – Going Home
