Blustery day.

This weekend turned out a lot different than we expected. We had decided to go do some shopping late Saturday afternoon, so I was getting ready. It was windy outside, but John had gotten a weather warning at work the night before that there would be winds up to 55 mph and a chance of hail, so we weren't surprised. And then it started raining SO HARD. And the roof started buzzing. John said, "We're about to lose power." And then we did. (No worries, his crystal ball's in the mail.) We've had a few power outages recently, so I wasn't too concerned and we went on our way despite the rain. Moments after we started driving, though, the rain worsened so we couldn't see at all, even with the wipers on full blast. When we arrived at the mini mall the power was out there, as well. In fact, the whole base seemed without power. We had just gotten paid and needed to replenish our food supply, though, so we started heading toward Fayetteville. The first road we tried was blocked by enormous trees strewn across the five lanes. We started to realize this wasn't just a storm. The next road we tried had several power lanes strewn across it, again a five-lane street.

We'd been stuck in traffic turning around for some time, though, and my blood sugar was getting very low and had very little food at home to make, especially without power. So, we just started driving the other direction. Back across Fort Bragg, through Spring Lake, looking for signs of electricity. Half an hour later we came to a little town called Lillington and they had working stop lights, which thrilled us. We found an Italian restaurant, Nonna's, and went in for some food. Not long after we arrived there, they had to close and just serve the people that were there because they simply didn't have the number of people to handle that many orders. Every food establishment open was crammed full of people trying to find a meal. Nonna's turned out to have amazing food! We stopped at a gas station and got some bottled water, beef jerky, and a candy bar and headed back home. It was unreal going from the lighted area into the powerless, dark area. We made it home through the intersections and detours at last and laid on the floor by our patio doors in the moonlight (thankfully there was a full moon - with a ring around it, a sign of trouble). After a while of absorbing the news we'd gotten at the restaurant that there had been a tornado we used flashlights to change and just went to sleep for a while. I woke up at 1 a.m. from hunger. So dark. So quiet. I was so grateful for the ticking clock on the wall. I could hear the ice shifting in the freezer as it melted. I got out my book light (thank you, Mama) and read for hours, too stressed to sleep. I fell asleep close to sunrise. We regained power about 11 that morning and I kept sleeping until 3. The food in our freezer had sagged down from its thaw. No idea how the food in the fridge was... didn't want to let out the cool air to check during the outage.

Annoyingly, we were out of peanut butter for the disaster. xD Of course. So, we drove back out to Nonna's (for our first meal since the last time we'd eaten there), which was much less crowded than the day before. WalMart, on the way home, was very crowded, though. They'd put some of the things that needed to be kept cold in the back where they had a generator, so we were able to get some milk. We just got a few things (including peanut butter) and came home. I've mostly been enjoying cereal, knock-off slim fast drinks, and graham crackers since then. Today will be a pb & j day.

Once we had regained power, we looked up what news we could find about the tornado. Or I should say tornadoes. There were 8 in our area and many more throughout much of the country. One went by less than a mile from our house. And we drove right into where it was just a few minutes afterward. Northern Fayetteville and Sanford were hit hard, as well as Raleigh. Apparently, a Lowe's is completely gone. The people inside had managed to gather in the back docking area made of concrete before the building was demolished so they were okay. There was some damage done to the base, though John and I aren't sure how much. We don't know how much it will affect their time of deployment yet.

I'm just so thankful that John and I and our pets are alright and our home and car are still in tact. While we were trying to get through all the traffic we saw many car accidents that had taken place, the people waiting hours for help to come because anyone that would report to the scene were directing traffic and and trying to take care of the most dire needs.

I'm not sure if I've ever felt that helpless before. Knowing that if something happens help probably can't get to you even if they could come at all. Feeling so exposed and vulnerable. Watching some people just do whatever they want in the chaos. I mean, that was a stop sign, it doesn't need power to be in effect and the guy still tried to run it as we started driving through the 4-way after our own stop. I couldn't help feeling like this is what anarchy must feel like. Many individuals unsure of one another trying to survive catastrophe. Most people were very helpful and caring, but there were those that were ready to take advantage at every moment. I can't even understand such selfish thinking. It hurts me so much to try.

I'm glad things are starting to feel normal and rhythmic again. Yesterday the stress finally hit me and I slept and felt ill much of the day and then didn't sleep all night. But, I'm feeling the return of calm today. The stillness after the wind. It swept through and left nothing the same, including me. "Let that be a lesson to you; never take anything for granted."