Hurricane Florence and then Hurricane Michael came through our communities last month. Hurricane Florence forced us to evacuate our home . It was the first time we've had to do that. In a matter of 16hrs we went from realizing we had to go,to being on the road. It was a horrible and heartbreaking time! Having to quickly decide what was needed and what had to be left. Making provisions for farm animals and knowing we may lose everything. It was beyond surreal. Yet in the midst of it, God held us. Our family was protected and provided for. We spent a lot of time in prayer and watching to see when we could return to whatever was left. 12 days later we finally got to return. The route was different then the one we had traveled to leave. Many roads were still impassable, some completely washed away. I tried to get pictures as we drove through some of the areas, but many pictures didn't turn out. In the weeks to come I'll share some of them here. Seeing FEMA, disaster relief , and lineman's trucks caused tears to well up, and my throat to tighten. This wasn't just another place that was hit by a natural disaster, this was our communities! These are the towns we drive to when we want to shop, go to school, attend festivals. The smell of rotting fish along an inland road was unexpected. I never thought about how the sea water would innnundate the fresh and brackish waters, killing the fish. Giant trees were laid on their sides, roots pulled and snapped. Like large chess pieces toppled over when the game is lost. The trees still standing looked like someone had gone across the top with a set of clippers, leveling them. Street signs, business signs, roofs and walls were mangled, knocked down and left in rubble on the ground. Tarps covering at least part of many roofs and piles of water damaged belongings litter the roadways. As we drove closer to home we wondered what would be awaiting us. Thankfully friends had gone by a few times and fed and watered the farm animals, so we knew at least most had survived. We arrived home just as the sun was starting to set, it was so big and welcoming. We were grateful to have a home to return to! The next week would be a rush of reclaiming our home, taking stock of what was lost and what wasn't. We did sustain some minor damage to our roof and some other minor damages inside. Our animal's shelters were destroyed, save one. And we lost half out flock of chickens. However, all 8 goats, 2 geese, half the chickens, 3 rabbits and the turtle as well as our fruit trees all survived!!!! God is so good to us! He faithfully answered our prayers and was merciful. In fact, all the little towns around us were flooded, many had water up to the top of their doors, but in our tiny town, all the homes are standing (some did flood), and all the farm animals here survived! It was such a joy to see each horse, cow, goat, chicken and dog that lives down the road happily grazing or out playing. It was amazing to see how the trees in the back yard are bend sideways, and some gone all together. The biggest one looks like a giant took a bite out of the top if it...but it's still standing. We've gotten our house mostly fixed, a bit of work remains, but it's very livable. Our animal's shelters are needing attention now as the fall weather has arrived. I'm hoping to get time to post more soon, recovery is time consuming. If I don't respond quickly, please know I deeply appreciate your time and comments!!!! God bless, Sno*