Hurricane Harvey came through Texas, ripping up people’s homes as if they were scraps of paper. Right behind him a few miles east, Irma (with my Spanish accent pronounced EEER-ma) came rushing in like me at dinnertime.
Reports said she was heading toward the Caribbean and Florida. Being that my mom is Puerto Rican and my dad is Cuban, I have family in both countries. Plus, a majority of my Cuban family resides in Florida, mainly in the Miami area. A little north in Orlando reside more family friends and my fiancé’s family.
As the reports became more and more grim, I became increasingly worried about them. Several of my family members are older, and I knew they either wouldn’t be able to evacuate or would be too stubborn to leave. Several had investments at stake. For example, my cousins just put a down payment on a house they have been saving for. All this on top of the fact that all my family has been planning to travel north for my wedding in November. We were now worried they wouldn’t be able to afford it because of the damage.
I knew that God was in control overall, so I prayed for their safety. Facebook kept me updated with my cousins in Avon Park as they boarded up their windows and stocked up on propane for their gas stoves, water and Ramen. My grandfather evacuated to Avon Park and gave our family a call during the brunt of the storm on Sunday. He proudly explained that while his brother was eating cold turkey sandwiches in Miami, he was eating a great big bowl of warm soup!
My soon-to-be in-laws kept in contact with us as the storm passed through Apopka. Now that it is Monday, I can praise God and His faithfulness. Aside from the power going out down in Miami, my family sustained no injuries, and there are minimal damages to the house. But I will continue praying for those being affected.
Today in class, the teacher explained the key events that slowed Irma’s impact. Had the hurricane shifted twenty miles when it was hitting Cuba, its eye would have been over the water, adding more fuel to the storm.
Psalms 105: 1-2 says, “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.
I can give the Lord praise today as my family is out of harm’s way, and I can truly say that I serve the God of the world, Creator of nature, who is in control of all circumstances.
