Home for a Lifetime

Looking back at our blog, we’ve had an interesting year: Tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and then a freak pre-Halloween snow storm that resulted in long term black outs.

I was certainly more prepared for the snowpocalypse than the last few curve balls thrown at us by Mother Nature. My husband and I were lucky enough to have family we could stay with. We went on a mini vacation until things started to improve near our house. Then we headed back so my husband could go to work as his office had power. We came back even though the Dynamic Living office and our apartment were still without power. I figured I’d be fine. And I was…. Sort of.

Every now and then I’d catch myself thinking “oh I’ll just plug that in…” or “I can turn that on…” Except that plugging things in or turning things on wasn’t going to do much. As one friend put it: I’d make a crummy pioneer. If the power had stayed out longer I would have eventually gotten used to it. I kept myself busy and found ways to adapt to not having power. Looking back I realize the whole experience is very similar to what happens when you have an injury or an illness that heaves your daily routine right out the window.

At first, we were shocked. We didn’t know what to do, so we went looking for help. We had to leave the comfort of our own home so that we could just have the basics that we needed to survive. We also needed help from family and friends. We came home once we were feeling a little more secure about what we needed to do. After we got home, I went through the process of adapting our apartment for the current situation and made sure we had enough gadgets to supplement those adaptations.

My husband and I were able to get back to normal fairly quickly, but not everyone got power back in a timely manner. While we were putting things back they way they were, many people in our area were looking at adaptations that could last a longer.

The whole experience was a reminder for me that I take many things for granted. For example, the ability to walk around my apartment safely after the sun sets is something I came to appreciate in those days. So now that we’re back to “normal” I’ve left many of those adaptations as they were. If I take them down, I’ll have to start over the NEXT time the power goes out. Being prepared for it will make the already stressful situation a little easier to cope with.

Our power (along with most of Connecticut) was knocked out by a freak October snowstorm that downed branches, utility poles and wires throughout the state. Well over ¾ of a million people in the state were without power. And, did I mention, it was cold!! In-house temperatures got down to around 45 degrees by the middle of the week, making most homes fairly uninhabitable. Most people had to leave their homes to find shelter elsewhere: with family, friends, neighbors, or town/city provided shelters.

It was annoying and frustrating, but in a twisted way, kind of fun. Many friends who stayed in the area discussed the survival skill lessons they were able to pass on to their children and the quiet family time they hadn’t had for a while. Many others escaped to other parts of the state or region – a sort of forced vacation.

Early on, my family decided to abandon our increasingly cold home and head to my parents’ house, where we did have heat and electricity. We didn’t know how long we would be staying, so only brought enough clothing for a few days (ended up staying a week). The kids were out of their regular routine: no school, after school activities, or comforts of our own home. But we kept busy doing different things: new indoor and outdoor playgrounds, library visits, lots of puzzles and books, we even spent a day at IKEA.

I knew we were lucky. We had somewhere comfortable and warm to go, where we were welcome and happy. I wonder what nursing homes, seniors, or people with disabilities did during this time. Were they lucky enough to have generators (safely run)? Were they able to relocate? Or did they suffer through the cold and we will only know the true tales as the newspapers and hospitals begin discussing the aftermath of this great October storm?

It’s been a strange few months in our area. First, a tornado hit and destroyed chunks of Springfield, MA and a few other Western MA towns, then we had the shock wave from the DC earthquake (the first earthquake I’ve ever felt!). We just went through hurricane Irene (in fact, I still have no power at home as I write this!) And I’ll just mention in passing the record snowfall winter we just had!

It’s not that these things don’t happen in our area of north-central CT (see Lauren’s blog post just two months ago), it’s just not that often, and to have them all happen in close sequence is just a bit strange. It all brings to light an important topic in aging in place: Emergency Preparedness. Yes, we all know we are supposed to have certain things ready at all times in our home: a safe water supply for a few days, some non-perishable food, spare clothing, batteries, etc. Families with small children may have a few more things to think about preparing, but guess what? So do most seniors.

Seniors must remember not to leave home without necessary medications and to have a shelter plan that isn’t too far away (whether with family, friends or a local designated emergency shelter). There are several things that younger folks might think about readily, but seniors may not, such as a charged cell phone. FEMA also recommends seniors consider an electronic payment for social security benefits, since, in an emergency, mail can be disrupted for several days.

Think about the things you need every day. What happens if they are in short supply or you don’t have electricity? Do you have a backup plan, or spares? If you know you’ll have trouble getting out of your home during an emergency, or will need transportation, but sure to discuss this ahead of time with neighbors, friends and family. In fact, you may be better advised not to leave home. (This is one reason a battery or crank operated radio is important – so you can listen to local emergency stations to find out what to do.)

Emergency weather situations are stressful in the best of times, and at worst, they can be deadly. Being prepared means not only having the things you need, but having a plan. Check out our article on Planning for a Disaster for more information.