When the hurricane finally ended, we climbed out of our tree and board covered basement to look at the world around us. For three hours the world had howled and groaned. I grabbed my little sister's hand and my mom's and we moved quietly down the silent street. Our neighbors, the Townsends had lost their roof and garage. It was eerie to see it standing next to the wreck of our house. Across the street houses were flattened. There was nothing left but splintered boards, downed trees, overturned cars, and broken swing sets. Our neighbors moved slowly like they were sleep walking, their heads turning from side to side. What was so strange was the silence. No one said anything, what was left to say? It would seem trite to say "Wow, what
