In The Eye of The Storm~Mom and Mother Nature

We all barely survived those "hurricane winds" last night.  It was like riding a rollar coaster in this old farm house as it swayed from side to side and up and down. Windows almost blew out and the 88 doors were squeeking and moaning all night.  There are trees and limbs down as far as the eye can see.  My 84 year old mother lives 2 hours away from here and she does not answer her phone.  I suspect her power is out, and maybe a tree down on her house. All my FaceBook friends are not typing updates this morning so I know that the power outage is probably most of Eastern Massachusetts up thru New Hampshire and Southern Vermont.  I have been in several hurricanes in the past and the winds last night were like 20 trains coming through the roof.  The house shook all night and the rafters and windows stretched and screamed.  Several emergency shelters have been set up here in Vermont to accomodate those with no power or heat.    I hope my moms neighbors are checking on her. Last year 2 of her neighbors froze to death in the ice storm because no one checked on them.    That memory is still fresh.
12:10 pm: I was finally able to get thru to ONE person that lives 10 miles from my mom and she is driving directly to my moms house. There are trees and electrical wires down all over town and power has been out since 10 pm last night.   
Times like these, I wish I had a helicopter.
12:15 pm:   My friend is banging on the windows and doors of my moms house and there is no answer.
I imagine the worse.  Trees, branches and wires down in the front yard and some in the back.
12:20pm:  She finds the extra keys and enters the house yelling my moms name.  No answer.
Now I am really about to have a heart attack.
She searches the entire house, every room and the cellar ( lots of water came in from the storm ) and still no mom.  The house is empty.  WHERE is she ?
12:30 pm: I search the Internet for emergency shelters set up in her town--nothing listed.
12:37pm:  I call my cousin in southern New Hampshire to ask her where the nearest shelters would be.
Guess what ?  My mother is WITH her and they are in Home Depot getting batteries for flashlights!!!!!!

Their plan is to return to my moms house and pack a bag and take my mom to New Hampshire to my cousins where there IS heat and power.  Amen.

Lesson for The Day; have a Disaster Plan for parents, if you do not live close to them. I assumed the neighbors would group together and do something.  They didn't.  Thankfully, my smart cousin was able to drive and navigate all the storm's road obsticles to get to my mothers home and get her out and to a place with heat.   I called my brother who is dry vaking his entire cellar because of the huge amount of water he got during the storm and he is relieved that mom is found.  He was on his way up there ( about 30 miles south ) when I called and told him mom wasn't in the house. Saved him a trip and unnecessary worry.
Its tough being the only daughter~!

Love you Mom!