Well, it looks like that Atlantic Hurricane season will not pass with no storm.
I am sitting here watching (in rotation) three different television stations about Isaias.
At first, it was to stay by Mexico.
Then it was to go to Texas,
Then Louisiana,
This morning they said Pensacola.
Now, it appears that it wil go east of Pensacola.
I do not mean to wish ill on those who live to the east of me, but I am thankful that it looks like Pensacola will not bear the full force of the storm.
With Atlantic Hurricanes, especially those that get into the Gulf of Mexico, the east side of the storm is much stronger than the west side of the storm. If Isaias goes on shore east of Pensacola, we will be on the weak side of the storm.
In 2004 Hurricane Ivan came ashore just west of Penacola (came in at Perdido Bay, the dividing line between Alabama and Florida). Pensacola was on the north east quadrant of the storm when it hit land.
When the Elders checked on everyone the found 800 houses of brothers and sisters damaged. 300 of those ouses needed to be completely re-roofed. Out of six Kingdom Halls in the area, our Kingdom Hall was the only one that did not need to be re-roofed (we had just put on a new roof in 2002, so it held up through the storm).
Jehovah's organization stepped in. They appointed a local disaster relief committee, and sent several hundred thousand dollars to the committee to buy supplies. Since our Kingdom Hall was the only one with an intact roof, our Kingdom Hall was used as the center for relief work. The Regional Building Kitchen people set up in the parking lot of our Kingdom Hall. They would serve breakfast at 7:00. By 8:00 everyone was grouped in teams of 8 to 10 and given a house address to go do the work.
There were people from all over who came to help. There was a large oak tree that came down on my mother's house, with one limb penetrating the roof. The team that came to her house to get the tree out of the attic and off of the roof included ones from Winsconsin, Louisiana, Mississippi, and even a missionary couple from Africa that happened to be in the U.S. for a school.
Only in Jehovah's Organization would people from so far away come to help their spiritual brothers and sisters recover from a disaster.
The storm (hurricane Ivan) hit land September 15. By the end of December, all of the houses had been repaired.
At age 82 I am not physically in a position to help those to the east who will bear the brunt of the storm. But I have no doubt that Jehovah's Organization will do what is needed to help those dear ones who suffer damage from the storm.
Just one more reason for us to be thankfrul for the earthly organization Jehovah has raised up at this time to care for his dear ones.
Thanks,
Jim