Whew, so far

So far so good. I didn't sleep well last night, for a few reasons. First, the wind was incredibly strong, and though our apartment is a sturdy little condo, the walls separating the apartments are made of, best I can surmise, paper mache or cardboard. We can hear every word our neighbors say, but on a night like last night, it was the slamming of windows that wouldn't let us sleep. We also have the apartment next to ours, which we rent out to tourists in the summer. I closed the windows inside two days ago, but the slamming we were hearing was incredible. It turns out, as we went to inspect, the wind was so strong it blew open all the windows and doors to the terrace that were continually hitting the wall and the window frame. We barricaded everything with furniture and then returned to our apartment to try and sleep. The thunder was the second wake up. It was strong and loud, and the windows rattled ominously as I lay awake in bed and nervously listened for the rain. When it came, it was difficult to sleep as I kept thinking about what else could possibly go wrong.

This morning, we called our friends and all seems normal. There is a slight drizzle and the thunder occasionally roars, but if it stays like this, I will be a little less of an anxiety ridden mess today. The only problem we've faced is that someone we know put their sandbags in the wrong place, thereby trapping the water draining IN their garage, flooding it. The opposite of what they wanted to happen, but, again, if that's it, I'll happily take it.

We are now trying to figure out how to replace everything lost in the Cantina. Yes, my friends in the Old Town were submerged in mud, and lost everything inside their restaurants and businesses, save for some dirty walls and dank floors, but the water in the Cantina had the same effect for us. We had to throw out the whole kitchen, bar, tables, chairs - everything as well - and as I've pointed out to people who ask me if I've contacted kitchen equipment suppliers to donate stuff, that every bar and restaurant that was destroyed in this flood, including ours, has different specifications and limited space. Alas, it can't just be a one-size-fits-all solution, and it's hard to say that someone needs something more then another. We are all in the same situation trying to rebuild businesses we worked so hard to make successful. I'll keep updated throughout the weekend. The storm alert is until Sunday.