Hurricane Report

Hurricane Helene recently made a significant impact on our region. This powerful storm has left a lasting mark on the communities in its path. Here are a few details about this storm:

• Landfall: Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane near Perry, Florida, at approximately 11:10 p.m. ET.
• Wind Speeds: The hurricane brought devastating winds of up to 140 mph, causing widespread damage.
• Size: At roughly 420 miles wide, Helene is one of the largest storms on record to strike the Gulf Coast.
• Storm Surge: Areas between Panama City and Tampa experienced dangerous storm surges, with water levels rising between 10 and 15 feet in some locations.
• Impact: The storm has resulted in at least 25 fatalities and left over 3.2 million people without power across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina.
  
  

Thankfully, the hurricane only had minimal impact where we live. Last night, we experienced tropical storm-force winds of around 33 mph, with one gust reaching about 58 mph. When I went to chapel this morning, I noticed lots of leaves and a few small branches on the ground, but there were no trees or large limbs down.

This is fall garden season in Central Florida. I have a number of tomato and pepper plants that I started not too long ago. Some of the tomato plants are about two to three feet tall and are supported by bamboo stakes. This morning, I noticed that the stakes were bent at an angle from the wind, but the plants suffered no damage.

Hurricane season in Florida officially runs from June 1 to November 30. The peak of the season typically occurs from mid-August to mid-October. Right now there are two hurricanes in the middle of the Atlantic. But neither one appeared to be a threat to us.

Because of Calvary,

Bob

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Can You Sleep When the Wind Blows?

Years ago, a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. “Are you a good farm hand?” the farmer asked him. “Well, I can sleep when the wind blows,” answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man’s work. Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand’s sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, “Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!” The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, “No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows.”

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down.

Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

Moral: When you’re prepared, spiritually, mentally, and physically, you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God. We don’t need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the middle of storms.