Greetings, Lion fans, I wish we had more to write about for the upcoming season, but for now, it’s the Great Unknown.

If you’ve been under a rock (given the events of the past 24 hours, it’s not a bad idea), or otherwise out of contact, the Beaumont/Port Arthur area, and southwest Louisiana are just now digging out and assessing damage from Hurricane Laura.

Up until about 30 hours or so ago, it was very much in the realm of possibility that Laura’s path would take it over the Galveston/Houston area, which is where I live.

(Note: I have been in contact with former Lion great Kyle Mackey, who coaches in Silsbee, and he and his family are safe,  their house is fine, and power is back)

Since my family and I moved to the Tomball/Spring area on Houston’s northwest side, we have experienced four hurricanes. Laura came ashore much as Hurricane Rita did in 2005, appearing to head for the Houston area, only to turn at the last minute, and come ashore near the Texas/Louisiana border. Then Ike in 2008, which was a direct hit (the eye passed roughly five miles from my home). In 2017, Harvey, after hammering the Rockport area, tried to wash Houston away.  Hurricane Laura was a very close call. The only thing to say is “We were lucky.”

There are others though, today, that are not so lucky. It will be a while before a true assessment of  damage can be made, and a measure taken on lives that were lost. There is certainly more damage that is not so apparent that will reveal itself in the mental and psychological damage done to the residents of the area affected. However, people will rebuild, They will rise up, dust themselves off, and set about picking up the pieces, and putting things back together. As they should.

They will certainly need help, though. When you say your prayers, say one for the the people affected by this. If there’s an opportunity to donate-building supplies, clothing, gift cards, etc., please donate. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in almost 20 years of living near the Texas Gulf Coast is, that in times of need, we are at our best when we help each other. No government, just neighbors helping neighbors.

In Houston, we were lucky. There were others that weren’t.