just thinking about Emily and my upcoming move

I've just heard that Emily has been downgraded. She's not even a tropical storm now, just a depression.  And we all give great thanks!

weather.com on Tropical Depression Emily as of Thursday evening      8-4-11



Emily drenches the DR



It appears she is still dropping heavy rains in various places in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.  See video here:

http://www.weather.com/weather/videos/news-41/top-stories-169/emily-drenches-dominican-republic-21495#loc=62/436/21495

I wonder how Darbonne has fared?

Checking one of the blogs I follow, I hear Port-au-Prince hasn't had any real storm activity at all. You can read the short report here:  http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/2011/08/thankful.html.  And one of my friends posted on Facebook from Port-au-Prince saying that Emily was no more. 

Such good news.  Such relief.  The last thing people need right now is more flooding.  Never mind the winds; a regular heavy rain is enough to cause trouble.   Imagine having not only flooded roads, but for those still without sturdy homes, a floor of mud or muddy water in your dwelling.  All this and cholera too.

Up north, Le Nouvelliste reports that some 300 families have been victims of flooding and that several cholera treatment centers have been swept away.  Here is the link [ http://www.lenouvelliste.com/article.php?PubID=1&ArticleID=95699&PubDate=2011-08-04] and some of the article for those of you who read French:

Emily se dissipe mais les fortes pluies restent menaçantes

Haïti: La tempête tropicale Emily qui balayait Haïti jeudi s'est dissipée, mais les autorités restaient vigilantes en raison de la subsistance de fortes pluies qui menacent les camps de toile abritant des milliers de familles poussées à la rue par le séisme de janvier 2010.

Dans son dernier bulletin, le Centre national américain des ouragans (NHC) a indiqué qu'Emily s'est transformée en zone de basse pression, mais que de "fortes" précipitations tombaient toujours sur Hispaniola --l'île que se partagent Haïti et la République dominicaine--, avec des vents soufflant à 55 kmh...

Dans le nord d'Haïti, plus de 300 familles ont été victimes d'inondations et des structures de traitement du choléra, qui sévit toujours dans le pays, ont été emportées, ont annoncé les autorités...

Même dissipée, Emily devrait entraîner des précipitations allant jusqu'à 50 cm par endroits et provoquer des inondations subites et des glissements de terrain dangereux, a averti le NHC.

Prayers continue.

*  *  *

Meanwhile, back in the US, I think about my upcoming move, and I wonder what it will be like to see Port-au-Prince again.  Everything I remember there been pretty much leveled.  Hard enough to see in photos and even to imagine.  Seeing in person not only that much damage but also that many people living in misery is going to be rough.  As if seeing the poverty wasn't hard enough two years ago.  I hate that my friends have been living with this (and millions of others, too).  It's going to be so hard... And I have never been so sure that I am supposed to be there. I don't know what I'll be doing, but it doesn't matter.  I still don't have a date, but I am assuming it's less than two months now.   Mentally, my countdown has begun.