Got Rain? How 'bout Lightning too?

Since Monday, I'd been calling my parents' home to hear how they've been doing with all this crazy mid-western rainfall, but I hadn't caught anyone at home; the home phone would just ring and ring and ring... This morning on the way to work, listening to NPR, flooding in Cedar Falls, Iowa, was mentioned and that caught my attention big time = Cedar Falls is not at all that far from Cedar Rapids, where my parents live. I tried calling their home again, and once again, it just rang and rang, and I finally figured something was wrong; a pattern became evident: I wasn't even getting an answering machine pick up! [BACKGROUND INFO: Not many in my family are fans of call waiting, and my parents don't use it at all, if they even have it as a service (I don't think so). We all will usually ignore awaiting call until done with the first, and just call back the missed person.] So yeah, the whole not answering the phone is not at all that unusual, but the answering machine not coming on at all?

The short of all this would be the following: My parents' home was hit by lightening, and it has knocked out their phones and services, and all their household appliances are ruined (at least $10K worth), but their computers and printers are fine, due to hefty surge protectors.

I reached my step-mum on her cell this morning and she was on her way to clear out her downtown Cedar Rapids business office. See, the Cedar River is supposed to crest in Cedar Rapids tonight by about 3 feet and it's very likely her business will be flooded - - and there's a lot of heavy, very hefty duty, somewhat immobile, very, VERY expensive equipment that's gotta get off the floor! but how? UPDATE, 6/16/08: It's didn't flood by a mere 3 feet... it went past the height of the front entry door!

Meanwhile, my father is in Milan, Italy, totally unavailable. Of course, before I remembered this fact [SEMI-RELATED TANGENT: My father travels more often than not, and it's honestly difficult to keep up with his international travel schedule unless I write it down. END OF TANGENT], I had actually called his cell phone first and he had answered! It totally threw me off to hear his answer as to where he was, and for me to realize I'd forgotten he'd be in Italy, and then the fact that he'd actually answered my call, and THEN, it reeeeally threw me for a loop when he told me their house had been struck by lightening!? Jeepers!

I hope everything goes the best way it possibly can - - I wish I was there to help out, dammit! And I feel terrible for those having to bear the brunt of all this nasty weather our world is encountering nearly everywhere around the globe.