A Reflection by Fr. Brian:
(a personal story of Hurricane Harvey, continued from yesterday)
We had to set up the cots ourselves and just before some people began to retire on them for the night, the second night in the terminal, they brought by some aluminum foil blankets for us to keep warm through the night. We prayed the rosary and tried to get some rest!
The next day, we were brought some breakfast by terminal staff and we prayed to St. Damien again in a small prayer service. We were hearing word that they were thinking of having all those stranded in the terminals removed from the airport, of closing down the entire airport completely. Around noon, some United airline officials came to me and said that our group must get on a plane in the afternoon and leave the airport. There were only two choices, fly to Detroit or Chicago. So, they were literally kicking us out of the airport! So, I said, “Okay! We’ll fly to Detroit.” I figured Detroit was a less busy airport than O’Hare in Chicago. Well, then they said that they were going to fly us to Chicago O’Hare!
So, in the afternoon of our third day in the terminal, they put our group on a Spirit airline plane bound for Chicago. Apparently, this was the only available airplane at the airport. And, off we flew to Chicago, trying to figure out how we were going to get back to the Rio Grande Valley!
(Stay tuned tomorrow for the continuing saga of the Damien pilgrims!)
Blessings, pono and pule!
Fr. Brian, ss.cc.
Priest
Molokai