I just ran into Diane Walker at The Home Depot store in east Forth Worth. Diane is from Katy, Texas (near Houston), and she’s been visiting family here. But when it became clear that Ike was heading for her hometown, she sprang into action.
Diane was buying supplies for the Breath of Life Clinic in Katy, which provides health care services to children with no insurance. Diane explained that the clinic has more than $150,000 worth of vaccines and medications that must be kept refrigerated at all times. Losing power during Ike simply can’t happen.
Diane says it was not easy to find that generator. She says she searched all over North Texas, before finding this one in Fort Worth. The clerk at Home Depot told me that most of the generators in this area have been shipped into the storm zone, where they’ll be needed most. The clerk also told me that many local customers have been coming into the store today buying batteries and supplies in anticipation of the rough weather expected here.
After stopping at Home Depot, Diane was on her way to Wal-Mart. She was planning to buy bottled water and non-perishable food items, which she says friends in Katy tell her are getting to be precious commodities. Diane part of an organization called www.compassionkaty.org. The group knows what to do. It was formed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
By the time you read this, Diane will be rolling south — while most people are rolling north. We wish her the best as she prepares to meet Ike.
