I received word last night that they had made it as far as Memphis, Tennessee. Dad's voice sounded so tired and weak when he called me over the phone from a hotel lobby in Memphis. I was really concerned about his his physical state, given his history of five heart attacks, knowing that he had been living in the cold for three days, and that he had been informed that all the hotels in Memphis were completely full with no vacancies available anywhere before Little Rock. Suddenly, though, the hotel front desk where he and Mom just "happened" to be standing received a call with word of an unexpected cancellation. Minutes later, he and Mom were checked into a warm, comfortable room for the night! Isn't God good?! Praise the Lord and thanks again for partnering with me and my family in prayer! They are scheduled to arrive in Dallas late today.
Although there has not been much mention given to this situation today in the national media, it continues to be very serious. So far, twelve deaths have been reported in Kentucky alone, including some people found frozen in their beds. There are still many people in rural areas that authorities have not been able to make contact with. Over 600,000 are still without power and over 200,000 without water in that state alone. Here are a couple of excerpts from the Associated Press:
Dozens of deaths have been reported and many people are pleading for a faster response to the power outages. Some in rural Kentucky ran short of food and bottled water, and resorted to dipping buckets in a creek...the uncertainty of when power might be restored had many appealing for help. Officials urged those in dark homes to leave. "We're asking people to pack a suitcase and head south and find a motel if they have the means, because we can't service everybody in our shelter," said Crittenden County Judge-Executive Fred Brown...Local officials grew angrier at what they said was a lack of help from the state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In Kentucky's Grayson County, about 80 miles southwest of Louisville, Emergency Management Director Randell Smith said the 25 National Guardsmen who have responded have no chain saws to clear fallen trees. He said roads are littered with fallen trees and people shivering in bone-chilling cold are in need. "We've got people out in some areas we haven't even visited yet," Smith said. "We don't even know that they're alive." Smith said FEMA was still a no-show days after the storm...FEMA spokeswoman Mary Hudak said some agency workers had begun working Friday in Kentucky and more help was on the way. Hudak said FEMA also has shipped 50 to 100 generators to the state to supply electricity to such facilities as hospitals, nursing homes and water treatment plants. "We have plenty of folks ready to go, but there are some limitations with roads closed and icy conditions," she noted...Doris Hemingway, 78, spent three days bundled in blankets to ward off the cold in her Leitchfield mobile home. News that it could take up to six weeks for power to be restored sent Hemingway and his husband, Bill, into a shelter at a local high school. "I'd pray awhile and I'd cry awhile," Doris Hemingway said. "It's the worst I've ever seen."It is great to know that God is always near even when it seems we are all alone!
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