Hurricane Sandy Humbles Us

Those of us who live here in Northeastern United States are getting ready for what is being called the worst storm in 100 years.  Hurricane Sandy is on her way and she is going to do whatever she wants to do, with all of us completely at her mercy.

In a seemingly unrelated story, the country is also getting ready to vote in a major election for our president.  Here is the electoral map, showing what areas of the country are leaning towards Romney and what areas are going to Obama.  Per usual, the northeast United States is backing the Democrat - pro-abortion Barack Obama

Then looking at Sandy's tracking map, we see that the same areas are in the direct path of Hurricane Sandy.

As the Huffington Post tells us:

From Washington to Boston, big cities and small towns Sunday buttoned up against the onslaught of a superstorm that could endanger 50 million people in the most heavily populated corridor in the nation, with forecasters warning that the New York area could get the worst of it - an 11-foot wall of water.

As rain from the leading edges of the monster hurricane began to fall over the Northeast, hundreds of thousands of people from Maryland to Connecticut were ordered to evacuate low-lying coastal areas, including 375,000 in lower Manhattan and other parts of New York City, 50,000 in Delaware and 30,000 in Atlantic City, N.J., where the city's 12 casinos were forced to shut down for only the fourth time ever.

"We were told to get the heck out. I was going to stay, but it's better to be safe than sorry," said Hugh Phillips, who was one of the first in line when a Red Cross shelter in Lewes, Del., opened at noon.

"I think this one's going to do us in," said Mark Palazzolo, who boarded up his bait-and-tackle shop in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J., with the same wood he used in past storms, crossing out the names of Hurricanes Isaac and Irene and spray-painting "Sandy" next to them. "I got a call from a friend of mine from Florida last night who said, `Mark, get out! If it's not the storm, it'll be the aftermath. People are going to be fighting in the streets over gasoline and food.'"

Authorities warned that the nation's biggest city could get hit with a surge of seawater that could swamp parts of lower Manhattan, flood subway tunnels and cripple the network of electrical and communications lines that are vital to the nation's financial center.

And Sandy isn't threatening only the northeast.  It is stretching all the way to Chicago, hometown and stronghold for President Barack Obama.  From nbcchicago.com:

Powerful Hurricane Sandy has caused the National Weather Service to issue a lakeshore flood warning in Chicago.

During the warning, which goes into effect at 1 a.m. on Tuesday until 4 p.m. Wednesday, waves of 16 to 22 feet are likely to build along the Cook County Shoreline, reported the National Weather Service.

Is someone trying to tell us something?  Maybe yes.  Maybe no.

In all seriousness, when we are faced with acts of nature such as Hurricane Sandy, it serves to remind us of the awesome power of our Creator and just how puny and powerless we really are. I pray for all of us who are in Sandy's path that we are protected and safe.

PRAYER FOR PROTECTION FROM HURRICANES AND STORMS

God, our Father, 

Eternal and Omnipotent,

Creator and Lord of the Universe,

you have set the earth on its foundation

and all elements of nature obey your command. You give food to all flesh,

cover the heavens with clouds,

and provide rain to the earth ─

We humbly beseech you

Lord, Most High,

to keep us safe from all dangers

and to calm all the storms of life that threaten us:

especially the attack of whirlwinds and tornadoes,

the calamity and destruction of hurricanes,

the din and damage of hail storms,

the striking of thunderbolts and lightning,

and the devastation of floods and tidal waves.

May we be secure in your loving protection,

seek your Will in all our experiences,

and serve you always with grateful hearts.

We ask this through our Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Courtesy of franciscan-sfo.org