By Teri Stiles
Staff Writer
Brandon Twp. – In the early hours of Sept. 8, part-time township resident Katie Goodmurphy and her family came far too close to one of nature’s most devastating forces.
‘It was surreal’you could see the roof lifting but we stayed calm for the children,? Goodmurphy said. It was frustrating for us because we wanted to know where it was going to cross over.?
Katie and her family, Jordan, 5, Meagan, 2, and husband Criaig were just one of thousands living in the capital city of St. George’s when Hurricane Ivan hit the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada with 145 mph winds. The eye of Ivan, a Category 4 hurricane passed over the small island.
For the past five years Craig taught anatomy at St. George’s University a medical school located on the island. The family had just returned from their Michigan home when the storm hit.
Hunkered in a bathroom toward the center of their house the family were protected from falling trees, flying debris and bursting windows. While Hurricane Ivan’s peak winds lasted only about one-half hour on its way across the Atlantic Ocean toward the Gulf of Mexico it’s devastation crippled the island.
Goodmurphy recalls that near daybreak on Wednesday, a crescendo of splintering eruptions filled the spacious bathroom’a window exploded and the roof repeatedly heaved several inches off the frame of the house.
While his sister Meagan was sleeping, Jordan stayed awake and recalls the storm.
‘The trees falling and hitting the windows and the sound of the wood splintering was the scariest part of the storm,? he said.
‘I was scared of the hurricane part. I hid behind mommy’s chair.?
‘It was hard’sad for me to see how frightened Jordan was? said his mother.
By 7:30 a.m. the storm passed and the Goodmurphy’s were able to assess the damage.
‘On Tuesday, (the day before Ivan hit the island) my son Jordan started his first day of kindergarten, but the school was devastated,? Goodmurphy said.
‘Ninety percent of the homes on the island were destroyed.?
Although islanders knew they were in the path of Ivan, strong winds ripped out power lines so locals were unable to track when it was going hit.
‘Trees were uprooted everywhere. There was serious devastation all over,? said Goodmurphy. ‘All the houses made of wood with tin roofs were gone.?
Because their home is constructed of cement the Goodmurphy’s fared much better than the others. Still the house was surrounded by downed power lines, the roof was torn off over sections of the house, and water supply to the island was gone due to broken pipes island wide.
After the storm had passed Goodmurphy said she did not venture far from her home.
Hours after the storm peace keeping troops were brought in from neighboring Trinidad. Goodmurphy said ships in the harbors were hijacked, looters were walking the streets with machetes ransacking homes and stores for everything from food to electrical appliances.
‘It’s disheartening to see people take advantage of other people’s hardships,? she said. ‘They live off their land, gardens and food was destroyed, this is a real hardship.?
Because there is no longer water or power on the island, Goodmurphy was forced to leave the place she calls ‘home,? bringing her two children back to Michigan while her husband stayed behind to head up relief efforts from the university.
‘We consider that our home,? Goodmurphy said, promising to return and repair their home as soon as water and power is flowing back to the island.