Our Lady of the Island, Pray for Us!
Our Lady of the Island Shrine ~ Manorville, Long Island
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Exactly one week ago, the news was predicting an imminent hurricane, with winds up to 110 mph, likely flooding and power outages…headed straight for my house on Long Island. What do you do when you are in this situation? You secure your home as best as possible. Then you leave. If you can. And we did.
However, I never worry too much because…A) I trust in God B) We are preppers C) We’ve already had lots of experience with crazy stuff here in New York, from 9/11 to being the Covid epicenter to all your New York lunatics running around. So, my general feeling was…here we go again. And as a prepper, I am always grateful for one more real-life learning experience. There is even some sense of excitement for weirdos like me. Looking back on all the other things, I can see how much I learned and how much stronger I feel as a result. It also gives me the life experience to help lead others through the chastisement which is now upon the world. Hence, this ministry.
We spent the whole day before the storm securing everything outside and leaving things the best we could (appliances, computers, etc, that you really care about should be unplugged due to potential power surges which can short them out…but no, we did not shut off the fridge, but we took all the food we could, due to a possible outage). We also left our phone number with the neighbors in case the house was damaged (we have a lot of trees, which we just had trimmed, along with taking down a few which were hanging over the house-this gave us much peace of mind). When we got on the road, it became clear that lots of other people had the same idea…leave. Did I mention you should have a full tank of gas? (Always keep it at least half full.) Prior to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, people ran out of gas on the road, the traffic was so bad.
Regarding another Hurricane Katrina detail, don’t go to the Superdome. If everyone is going in one direction, go the opposite direction. Don’t rely on FEMA to save you. Katrina was an utter disaster. Be self-reliant! Have a plan and a location, or even several locations (what are friends and family for, anyway?). So…we drove to our (undisclosed) bug-out place. We stayed a few days to avoid the traffic rush back, which proved to be smart because some major roads were closed due to mud accumulation. Never take anything for granted-the Covid insanity should be teaching us this as well.
We’ll get to Hurricane Henri and how it turned out, but first, let’s look at Sandy, from 2012. Sandy illustrates why you should be concerned about hurricanes, even if they are only Category 1. It’s the reason we and all those other people decided to leave…
Hurricane Sandy is now infamous in the New York area. It claimed 131 lives in the US alone. It was a Category 1 when it hit, with 80 mph winds. But don’t let a minor Category rating fool you into thinking a storm is not dangerous. According to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, “The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is a 1 to 5 rating based only on a hurricane's maximum sustained wind speed. This scale does not take into account other potentially deadly hazards such as storm surge, rainfall flooding, and tornadoes.” At its worst, Sandy was a Category 3 and then deceptively turned into a mere tropical storm. Soon after, it picked up speed and made landfall in New Jersey. It dumped up to 12 inches of rain in some areas, caused massive power outages (our power was shut off before it even hit) and sent 20,000 people to shelters (not where you really want to be-they ain’t no Hiltons). Tragically, most of the deaths were due to drowning, many in their own homes. Other causes of death were trauma, carbon monoxide, car accidents and electrocution (see note below). Some of the reasons reported for why people failed to evacuate were: fear of homes being looted, misjudging severity of the storm and having no access to transportation. Another possible reason is one may want to stay with his home in case it is damaged, thinking the damage could be better managed. This is not entirely without logic, though is it worth risking your life? In addition, you may not be able to obtain services for some time and do you really want to wait out a storm with a tree in your living room? But…we stayed through Sandy…and it was terrifying at the height of the storm, the wind howling and fearing a tree would careen through a window at any moment. We prayed and we were fine-not even one tree came down.
The day Henri hit was both the feast of the Queenship and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Toward the eastern end of Long Island lies the Shrine of Our Lady of the Island, with its huge statue of Our Lady overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, a short distance away. She seems to be protecting us upon a great stone, holding up her Divine Child. There is much devotion to her on this little island, which contains 2 of the boroughs of New York City. Henri veered to the east, weakened to a tropical storm (just under Category 1) and made its main landfall in Rhode Island. However, New York did get some of the brunt. There was record-breaking rainfall with major flooding…also power outages and fallen trees. Our area was pretty good and there was no damage to our house. Sadly, 2 deaths took place (according to my research, but full reporting may take some time) in North Carolina, due to riptides.
A week later, we are still re-assembling our yard. It was a lot of work dealing with all the things on the deck, plants, statues, solar lights and my collection of chimes (don’t want anyone killed by flying chimes) around the property. Turned out we had no damage at all! How did our preparedness help in this situation? If we had to stay, we have 2 generators with a supply of gas, along with general supplies. We have cultivated good relationships with our neighbors. And we’ve been to confession. Some things we need work on: communications, organizing of supplies and home improvement. That is why prepping is a lifestyle-there is always something to improve and to learn. The recent landscaping was extremely valuable. As for going on the road, it is good that we are used to traveling and always have supplies, including a serious survival bug-out bag, in the car. Our remote location is also stocked with supplies.
Hurricanes give you only a few days warning at best and other kinds of disasters can come on suddenly. Then there is the societal trend toward greater instability and the emerging New World Order, which is another whole level of preparedness. Please stay tuned to this blog, as we will continue these conversations in the coming days.
Important safety note if your basement is flooded…
Take great care before venturing into a flooded basement, because death by electrocution is a possibility. My own cousin knew a family who lost both a father and his son during Hurricane Sandy on Staten Island, due to this very situation. If you have any doubt, please call for help before entering your basement. Also, do not enter any dangerous or dark areas of your house without a flashlight, in the event you are caught suddenly in a power outage (this actually happened to me and it wasn’t fun).
Image courtesy https://www.ourladyoftheisland.com