{"id":2293,"date":"2022-09-29T05:21:37","date_gmt":"2022-09-29T10:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/denisonforum\/2022\/09\/a-hurricane-well-talk-about-for-many-years-to-come-a-reflection-on-doubt-and-hope\/"},"modified":"2022-09-29T05:21:37","modified_gmt":"2022-09-29T10:21:37","slug":"a-hurricane-well-talk-about-for-many-years-to-come-a-reflection-on-doubt-and-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/denisonforum\/2022\/09\/a-hurricane-well-talk-about-for-many-years-to-come-a-reflection-on-doubt-and-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"A hurricane we\u2019ll talk about \u201cfor many years to come\u201d: A reflection on doubt and hope"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

As it neared the Florida coast, Hurricane Ian was so gigantic that the International Space Station could see it<\/a> on the distant horizon. Hurricane Charley, a horrific 2004 storm that killed fifteen people and left more than one million people without power, could fit<\/a> entirely inside Hurricane Ian\u2019s eye. The storm stretched<\/a> five hundred miles east to west, twice the width of the Florida peninsula.<\/p>\n

After wiping out power<\/a> on the entire island of Cuba, Hurricane Ian made landfall<\/a> yesterday afternoon near Cayo Costa, Florida, as a Category 4 storm. Wind gusts of 140 mph were recorded<\/a> in Cape Coral. Storm surges up to eighteen feet have been seen<\/a>. Homes were moved, obliterated, and submerged. Streets in Naples looked like rivers; there are reports<\/a> of vehicles floating out into the ocean. More than 2.2 million people are without power in Florida today.<\/p>\n

The storm is tracking<\/a> across eastern Florida this morning. It is expected to move off the Florida coast later today and approach the coast of South Carolina tomorrow. Orlando set<\/a> a daily record with 7.72 inches of rain reported yesterday at the international airport; the previous high for the same date was 2.68 inches of rain. Central and Northeast Florida are expected to receive isolated totals of thirty inches of rain today.<\/p>\n

This is a storm<\/a> we\u2019ll talk about \u201cfor many years to come,\u201d according to National Weather Service Director Ken Graham.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe conclusion I dread\u201d<\/h2>\n

I cannot imagine how people who have lost everything are feeling this morning. But I can say as a cultural apologist and a pastor that, in the face of great suffering, asking \u201cwhy\u201d is normal and appropriate.<\/p>\n