Editor's note: Sarah Hardegree

Rabon graduated from Dreher High

in 1957. She married Bill Rabon,

now deceased, and has two children

and five grandchildren. She

lives in Spring, Texas. Her brother is

the late Scottie Hardegree.

What a storm and what an aftermath this is! I am one of the truly lucky ones - minimal damage and I got power back again last night. The folks across the street from me still don't have any, and my family doesn't have any in their homes. My grandsons have moved in with me temporarily. There are no grocery stores, no gas stations, etc., etc., and it may be weeks before all of this is restored.

My neighborhood looks like a war zone with downed trees - probably 25 houses here are severely damaged. You probably have seen the damage better than I since I had no TV - and still don't have cable - least of my worries.

For about 24 hours, I lost my land line phone, and cell towers are down and it is impossible to get through on cell phones even if you have battery power. I finally drove 10 miles yesterday to check on my family since we had been unable to communicate in 36 hours. They are okay.

After the hurricane, we had torrential rains for 24 hours, but that brought in a wonderful cool front, and it is 68 degrees this morning. What a relief. It is so hot here without a/c.

The good thing is that neighbors helping neighbors is wonderful to behold. I could not have imagined so many folks would be checking on me and helping me in various ways. This adversity has brought our neighborhood together when before we were cordial strangers.

This isn't just Houston/Galveston - it is so widespread it is unbelievable. It includes at least four surrounding counties and all the way to the Louisiana line. You can expect to be paying more for gasoline, too, because of so many refineries being off line for a while.

Hopefully, as power is restored, grocery stores and service stations can reopen. There is nothing right now, and the poor folks south of Houston are worse off than we are. I'm sharing my freezer/fridge with folks still without power and have offered my home for laundry, showers, and sleeping if it gets too hard for them. A lot of communities don't even have water for toilets.

Thanks so much for your prayers on everyone's behalf. I continue to count my blessings.