Ike was a messy boy

At 6 a.m. thunderstorms rolled in and took down our electricity again. After what amounted to a day of "house arrest" I could feel the irritability rise within. So I worked it out the best way I knew how: I ran. When the rain subsided to a mere drizzle, I grabbed my Nikon Coolpix S550 and headed out the door to document what the hurricane left behind.

In about two-and-a-half hours, I had completed a 10-mile loop around home. People seemed to be in reasonably good spirits and I could hear the hard-working buzz of generators up and down the streets. When I returned, I was happy to see the power had returned, making it easy for me to share these pictures with you.

None of the surrounding traffic lights are working:


The field-goal kicker on the high school football team had a tendency to hook, anyway:


Numerous small trees and branches were snapped by the storm:


This might be a problem in the future. (Fortunately, I saw no cases of trees actually entering homes.):


Wrecked fences abound:


This storm sewer was clogged. Scratch and sniff your computer screen for the full effect.


Some two-story homes incurred roof damage:


Ike was originally from overseas, so I guess he couldn't read English:


This tree needs to be moved before vehicles can access the elementary school parking lot:


Parents will have less to worry about now when their kids climb this tree:


The nearest convenience store is still closed. I saw people inside the taqueria, but it's not open yet. The nearby grocery store is open, and sherriff's deputies are keeping order over the long lines of people waiting for basic necessities like bread and ice.

What a mess.