"Isabel Update"

It's been three weeks since Isabel came busting in here, and we're slowly getting back to normal again.

Isabel crushed through here on September 18, 2003 and wrecked havoc in almost every place you see here. Falling trees were the largest threat, and she seemed to snap them as easily as most of us break tooth picks. Power, Phone, and Cable lines have taken almost 3 weeks to restore.

My cable finally gained access back to the net at 5:30 PM tonight (October 6, 2003). It took over a week for the electricity, water and phone lines to work again. The cable took the longest, but I'm sure there are some areas that have waited as long as us.

The Food Lion has gotten back to 24/7, but they were on a curfew like the rest of us during that first week. Ice and water were handed out at the local fire stations during the earliest days, but not everyone was able to get there before they ran out each day.

The Red Cross held lunch and dinners at some of the Community Centers, and we were very fortunate that there were no lives lost. Early warning and updates kept most of us informed, so most people were able to get to safer grounds.

There are so many homes that were completely crushed by falling trees, and I'm sure the insurance company has been working round the clock with claims coming in. It's comforting to know that the people that lived in most of those homes were not inside at the time she blew though.

We owe a GREAT deal of Thanks to the many volunteers that swept into our area and helped bring order back to the devastation Isabel brought to our quiet town.