Shelter from the Storm

Summary
When a powerful hurricane hits Elwood City, everyone gets affected. Ladonna's father is summoned by the Army Corps of Engineers. Muffy relocates to a shelter, while Arthur struggles to reunite lost pets with their owners and Brain seeks the help of a counselor to help manage his anxiety.

Part 1
The show begins at the Ice Cream Shop with Brain showing his weather globe to Ladonna. Arthur Read, Buster Baxter, and Muffy Crosswire join in the discussion about hurricanes and preparations, since Hurricane Sadie is approaching.

Later on, Brain and his father are shown boarding up the Ice Cream Shop. They notice how Brain left his weather globe inside the shop, but he replies that he will pick it up the next day. During the hurricane, Brain is seen recording Sadie's winds.

Meanwhile, the Crosswires are having a hurricane party. The electricity goes out, but Bailey turns it back on with a generator.

At the Compsons' house, Rufus Compson receives a call for reporting to duty in the middle of a game of Charades. As a member of the Army Corps of Engineers, he is needed to help reinforce the overflowing Katzenellenbogen River. This means that he might miss Ladonna's birthday party.

The morning after the storm, Muffy is upset to find out that the electricity is out. As she walks down the stairs, she is surprised to discover that the first floor of her house is flooded. Arthur's house, on the other hand, is dry but he is deeply distraught upon watching the news about abandoned pets. As for Ladonna, she proclaims of skipping her birthday if her father does not come, which Bud finds surprising and "against the laws of nature." The Ice Cream Shop was damaged by a fallen tree, which Brain finds shocking due to the fact that the other shops on their street were still intact. This affects him greatly: he is scared of the wind and becomes anxious.

At school, Buster suggests Arthur to help out at the pet shelter. Muffy tells Brain that her house was "destroyed" and that she has to stay at a hotel. Brain discovers in class that he forgot his textbooks, which are at his house.

After school, Ladonna video chats with her father, which doesn't go so well due to bad connection. The Crosswires found out that their hotel and all other hotels are all booked and are thus forced to stay at a shelter. This is where Muffy meets Kaylie. Ladonna has a bad dream about her father missing many important events in her life. Meanwhile, Brain cannot sleep at all due to the winds and tree shadows. His parents become concerned about him.

Part 2
Muffy is at the shelter and cannot sleep due to the snoring. She then meets Kaylie, the "mayor of the shelter," who gives her tips on coping in the shelter. They both have a bit of fun.

Brain and his parents visit Dr. Paula, a therapist. He and Dr. Paula have a one-on-one discussion about his anxieties and they practice breathing deeply.

Arthur is trying to raise funds for the animal shelter. His initial efforts do not go so well. He then makes a website with help from his mother. The website becomes a success and Mr. Ratburn invites him to share it with the class.

Bud is still concerned about Ladonna not having a birthday party, to which D.W. suggests he persists in throwing her one anyway.

Muffy and Kaylie visit Kaylie's house, which was destroyed. Muffy realizes how fortunate she is and invites Kaylie and her mom live with her family until their house is rebuilt. Kaylie's touched by the offer and but politely declines it, explaining to Muffy that she and her mother has already made the decision with Kaylie's uncle in Florida for a while in the case something occured. However, they agree to stay in touch until Kaylie comes back.

On the day of Ladonna's birthday, Buster asks Ladonna to help him fix the treehouse, to which she agrees. This turns out to be a surprise party, with another surprise: her father comes back. Brain took a shortcut to the party and overcomes his fears. He comes and gives her a repaired weather globe as a present.

At the Ice Cream Shop's re-opening, Arthur, Muffy, and Kaylie are eating ice cream together, along with Kaylie's new dog Sadie. Ladonna, Bud, and their father are eating ice cream at another table. Brain and Dr. Paula are having smoothies.

Major

 * Muffy Crosswire
 * The Brain
 * Ladonna Compson
 * Rufus Compson
 * Arthur Read
 * Buster Baxter

Minor

 * David Read
 * Jane Read
 * Mr. Powers
 * Bud Compson
 * D.W. Read
 * Ed Crosswire
 * Flip Wattles
 * Millicent Crosswire
 * Pal
 * Cisely Compson
 * Kaylie Lamott
 * Dr. Paula
 * Bailey
 * Alfonz

Cameo

 * Fern Walters
 * Fletcher
 * Flossie
 * Steve
 * Liam
 * Francine Frensky
 * Binky Barnes
 * George Lundgren
 * Jenna Morgan
 * Mrs. Lamott
 * Sue Ellen Armstrong
 * Sadie
 * Jessica
 * Slink
 * Maria Pappas
 * Helen

Mentioned

 * Chip Crosswire
 * Kaylie's uncle

Trivia

 * Idina Menzel is a guest voice.
 * In 2015, the episode was made available freely on the official Arthur website as part of the resilience section of a feature titled Arthur Family Health. Part one of the episode can be watched here, and part two here. It is also available on the PBS KIDS Video app and website. The show's "And Now a Word from Us Kids" segment is also included as a separate video clip.
 * The episode is part of programming initiative that also includes the episode “A Storm in the Neighborhood / After the Neighborhood Storm" from the series Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.
 * When Brain is trying to fix his globe on his table, the globe changes color from blue and green to black and gray.
 * The name of the hurricane, Sadie, is similar to the name Sandy, the name of the hurricane that affected the Northeast region of the United States in 2012, close to the same area that the Arthur universe takes place in.

Cultural references

 * The is a real agency.
 * "Shelter from the Storm" is the name of a Bob Dylan song from his 1975 studio album  Blood on the Tracks.
 * Dr. Paula's quote, "I like all things sweet and frozen," is a reference to the 2013 movie Frozen, in which her voice actress voiced the deuteragonist, Elsa. Dr. Paula even gives a knowing wink to the viewers after saying this.

Episode connections

 * "April 9th" was also about a disaster that affected everyone differently.
 * There was another citywide, weather-related situation in "The Blizzard".
 * Ladonna had mentioned that her father was in the army in "Based on a True Story".
 * Brain had to manage his anxiety in "S.W.E.A.T.".
 * According to Buster, a hurricane hit Camp Meadowcroak in "".
 * The meerkat cut-out in Dr. Paula's office is from the movie Mr. Meerkat's Merry Misadventure which Buster and Ladonna saw in "Besties".