Update from Baytown, Via Dallas

As most of you have probably heard, after a lot of praying and hoping, the Ellis family made it through Ike's fury with no significant injuries and they are doing just fine. Somehow, throughout the storm, cell phone coverage was never lost. Kami and I were actually able to keep in close contact with them almost the entire duration of the storm. We've continued to check in with them as they work to clean things up and my dad asked me to give a little update here on the blog since the authorities are still very uncertain how long they will be without power.

While their bodies made it through the storm unscathed (aside from a little tweak in David's back), the same cannot be said for their home. At the worst part of the storm, the high winds tore off a significant portion of the roof on the rear of the first story. During the next several hours of driving rain and wind, the wood and sheetrock gave way to the water and the back half of their first story suffered a good bit of water damage. The fact that they were able to be there and move a lot of things out of the way ended up being very helpful. They surely would have lost their living room furniture, the piano, and several books among other things had they not been their to move them. The storm surge (which was my biggest concern) never reached the top of the hill in their back yard.

Their preparation prior to Ike seemed to be a huge help in making the last several days (and perhaps the coming days) much more bearable. As he wrote prior to the storm, all of their windows and doors were boarded up. They had ample amounts of gas (for the generator), food, water, and batteries. And they continue to live (relatively) comfortably, "old-school" as my dad put it, but comfortable and safe. At this point, they remain without power. Only a few areas in Baytown have restored power, however they were able to reload on gas.

My mom (probably much to her chagrin) was able to fly out on Monday and go to work. Dad and Jared continue to clean up around the house, in the yard, and help out with neighbors and members of the church when they can.

They wanted me to convey their gratitude for so many of you keeping their family, the Lakewood church, and the entire coastal community in your prayers. This storm could have been a lot worse and they thank God for his mercy through this whole process. Please continue to give thanks and ask God to continue to be with so many who were affected by the storm.

While our family is making it okay, and insurance will cover their losses, others were not so fortunate. Please continue to pray for the many people in Baytown and in Lakewood that lost everything in their homes due to flood and wind damage. Also, like I said before, it is still uncertain when power will be restored and very few people were prepared to deal with this type of situation over the course of more than a couple of days. The next couple of weeks could prove to be very difficult for some.

I will continue to update the blog as things progress. Until then, thanks again for your prayers,

Aaron Ellis