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Defining Moment Essay |
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English 111 |
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Isabel's Impact |
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September 18, 2003 was not a normal day.� When my family awoke that morning, the feelings of uncertainty and apprehension filled the air.� Hurricane Isabel was soon to be at our back door and angrily trying to push her way in. |
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The days before September 18th were spent constantly checking the weather channel, "Local on the 8s", and meteorologist Jeff Lawson's insights as to what Isabel was predicted to bring to our area.� Isabel was a category 5 hurricane at one point, and even though it had begun to weaken, it was still a great threat to wherever it would make landfall. Knowing that Poquoson had been flooded in years past by storms and hurricanes, I knew a storm with the magnitude of Isabel had the potential to do severe damage to the property in the low lying areas of Poquoson.� I also knew it could cause long power outages and all of the problems that go with that.� So, with all of this in mind, I did the usual preparations like filling the cars with gas, stocking up on batteries, food, and water, putting the important papers in plastic containers and other precautionary measures.� Little did I know that these were the last few days of my still innocent belief that since tide water had never touched our property, to our knowledge, that surely we would be spared this time too.� Little did I know that my security and feeling of protection from the elements would be shaken to my innermost being, and that my confidence and outlook in the home I had grown up in would be forever changed. |
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The power went out around 11:00 a.m. and we knew Isabel was definitely making her presence known.� Still, I wasn't worried about the tide, maybe the wind with the trees all around us, but not rising water!� Quickly, however, my confidence was starting to wane when the first trickles of sea water containing sea grass, oils, and other impurities began seeping into our recreation room which was originally our attached garage.� My family was scurrying at this point to put up appliances and whatever we could to stay ahead of the quickly rising water.� With the recreation room secured, we rushed to the detached garage and put up the air compressor, generator, welder and such.� The whole scene and chain of events seemed like a dream, this wasn't really happening to me; water never threatened us before!� By now, I had to go in, as the tide was soon to be over the height of my black rubber boots.� I went in the house, happy that we and our belongings were out of harm's way, but were we, were they? |
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The tide was incredible as it kept quickly pouring into our recreation room.� The first step was already covered, and then the second step was submerged.� This can't be happening to me, not my house!� I monitored the fiercely rising tide by the newspaper box out front.� It too was almost submerged by the deluge.� Now the third step was immersed. |
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I was like a caged animal as I went from window to window, door to door checking on the happenings around me.� Trees were cracking, falling, and hitting neighbors' houses all around us.� Their garaged vehicles were now flooded; it had taken us all by surprise.� As I stood at the front door, I could see parts of the tall pines falling into the three feet of water that was once our street.� The limbs and branches seemed to explode as bombs when they fell and splashed into the water below.� The wind was howling, the tall pines were bending, some beyond their limit and crashing into the water under them.� Six more inches and the raging tide would be in MY house.� Then, from our battery-powered radio, I heard Jeff Lawson say the most wonderful thing, "the worst is over"!� Hallelujah, I looked at the newspaper box and more of it began peeping out of the now falling tide.� We had made it through the storm, the physical part anyway, but the emotional part had only begun.� |
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The days and weeks that followed were filled with cleaning up the mess that Isabel had left behind.� Things can be cleaned, fixed and replaced, but never again will I take a hurricane lightly.� We are even talking of leaving this house where four generations of my family have lived, and moving to higher ground.� Gone are the confident days of feeling safe and secure from the threatening tides of storms to come.� Gone are the days when it is just another storm making up off the coast, because you never know when one day Isabel's big sister may also make her presence known. � |
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Back to English Composition page. |
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