Everyone with Sowers4Pastors was watching the path of Ian even before it was posing an imminent threat to Florida. At that time, it was a tropical storm heading west, right on the latitude of Honduras. That is a common hurricane pathway when they’re first beginning. The storm was predicted to turn north, and it did.
The concern for the people in Western Honduras was that the area is already waterlogged. Or, as Trish so aptly put it, “We’re completely flooded and up to our gills right now!”
Trish explained the situation further by saying, “Any interaction with the hurricane would have dumped more water on us. Fortunately, we were spared. It turned north, as it was projected to do. We caught tiny pieces of the edges of the hurricane. Essentially, we’re in the same, somewhat dangerous position as before - but at least we're no worse off.”
As you undoubtedly know, the northern turn means that Hurricane Ian is headed toward Florida. Trish’s father is in Sarasota where Ian has approached with sustained winds of 155mph. As of this morning, Trish believes her father’s home has lost power. Christopher and Audrey also live in Sarasota, but they left town to attend a wedding. Then they weren’t able to return home due to airport closures. That means they aren’t there to check on Trish’s dad. Ian is nearing Category 5. The official word is that it is time to “hunker down.” Trish’s sister and niece live on the east side of Florida. That area is facing tornadoes and heavy rain.
Many people have asked how this is affecting backpack collections. The backpacks that have been mailed are on the east coast of Florida. They are vulnerable due to an elevated risk of tornadoes and flooding. There are still a few individuals on the west side of Florida who are in possession of backpacks to donate. Some boxes of backpacks are in a truck moving from Maryland to Florida. The truck is currently in Virginia. There is the possibility that Allen will be driving south as the storm moves north. The Maryland backpacks (including those collected on the first leg of the trip) are safely stored ther.
This is around the fourth time a hurricane has affected a backpack collection trip.
Because flooding and Ian weren’t enough to deal with, two earthquakes occurred in Western Honduras on Sunday. The epicenter was near San Pedro Sula, a three-hour drive from Gracias. Each quake was about a 5 on the Richter scale. Trish felt them in Gracias. However, her children who were in a warehouse store in San Pedro Sula didn’t feel a thing! The earthquakes are being blamed for three houses collapsing in Lempira. The collapses were likely the result of the combined effects of earthquakes and saturated soil.
Please continue to pray for the safety of everyone affected by Hurricane Ian. Add to that, prayers for the backpacks. And, while Honduras was spared the brunt of the storm, please pray that rains will subside and the ground will have a chance to dry out. It is interesting to note that tropical storms are a greater threat than hurricanes in Honduras since most damage from the area occurs from rain, not wind.
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