Struck Down But Not Destroyed

There is a song by Darrell Evan's that has been stuck in my head all day...

I'm pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned
Struck down but not destroyed
I'm blessed beyond the curse for His promise will endure
And His joy's gonna be my strength

This past Friday we were humbled, broken, and at moments, we feared for our lives. We were pressed, struck down and felt cursed beyond belief. It all started Thursday night. Our neighbour mentioned that a storm was coming overnight with winds upward of 60 -70 km / hr. We shut down our wind turbine as a precaution but went to bed unmoved. These types of winds are not uncommon in our area this time of year and nothing we haven't had to fight through before with a few fallen bales here and there. Throughout the night my family continued to awake being afraid of the sound of the wind. Although a bit louder than normal I kept assuring everyone just to go back to sleep. 6:30 am Audrey was awakened by a crash. By 7:00 am, we had all gotten up. Tearful, we peered out the windows at the sight of our wind turbine lying on the ground and large parts of our house/studio laying in shambles. Heading outside, we were met by the discovery that our chicken coop had not faired well either. We raced to build temporary shelter and round up the chickens that had survived the coop's 180 degree roll over. The sleet hurt so bad, it felt like each pellet was piercing  our cheeks. 4 days later now, my eyes are still sore to blink. As well there was so much debris flying around us we had to watch for pieces of tin that were being torn off of neighbour's roofs. The 70-80 km/hr winds also came with gusts that lasted sometimes over a minute at over 100 km/hr. These gusts were strong enough to cause you to lose your balance. For a few hours we took refuge at our friend's house in town, but for the most part, stuck it out throughout the day, night, and next day. The winds finally settled by Sunday morning, but the damage done in those two days will take months...possibly years to restore. In the end, we are 1. Not abandoned, 2. Not destroyed, 3. Blessed beyond the curse, and 4. His joy IS our strength. We have a home, we have our family, we have good friends, and material things can be replaced and rebuilt stronger, better and more beautiful than before.

What our house/studio looked like on Thursday

What our house/studio looks like after the storm.

The repairs on the turbine are going to hurt. The blades alone will be $3000 plus there are about another

$1000 of parts needed, and in additon a new design and cost for the tower. One that not only telescopes but also can be lowered safely while in the middle of a storm.

This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Flew the coop!" It's painful, but you have to find at least a glimse of humour each day. The coop is already rebuilt with help from Audrey's parents this last Sunday. It was so good of them to come down and help us put the pieces back up.

Other damage Around Craik

The large 16'x24' highway sign for the Eco-Centre

One resident in the town of Craik lost their roof to their addition

Massive large trees and many spruce trees took the most collateral damage.

Unfortunately, there is not a single turbine left flying in Craik.

 

Yet another.

The Eco-Centre faired well, but it too had some cosmetic damage.

This is an earlier shot of one of the buildings in the Eco-Village. Throughout the remaining day of the storm, more than half of the tin had left this side of the building.

A large majority of homes in the town of Craik have some type of roof damage.