Storm Closing

Have you missed me?

Early in the afternoon on Monday, the massive nor’easter hit here in Portland, Maine with lashing rain and up to 60mph winds knocking out the power and therefore my internet connection. And because I use VoIP telephone service, I was left with only a not-fully-charged cell phone.

My car, for which I have a cable to charge the cell phone, was at the body shop where the driver’s door is being replaced due to a minor accident a few weeks ago. Of course, lights, stove, refrigerator and television were inoperable.

I found an old transistor radio, but during the day and evening on Monday, I couldn’t find a local station with a news broadcast. WBZ, a Boston all-news station, came in loud and clear, but they weren’t reporting Portland news and all the Portland stations I could find played music or carried the standard, syndicated talk jocks without, apparently, any local news at all, not even five minutes at the top of the hour.

Early Tuesday - really early, 5AM, when the airwaves are less crowded - I finally located a Portland news station. Through four hours, they told me only this: about 112,000 Central Maine Power customers were without electricity and it would be two days or more before power was restored to some.

Yeah? Which some? Where were reports of what areas are affected, which can expect restoration when? How about a phone interview with a power company spokesperson? The mayor? The police chief? The station spent a total of about five minutes per hour on the power outage, closings and mostly, weather, which by then had spiraled down to damp, drizzly and benign.

And get this: at the end of each such report, listeners were directed to the station’s website for more detailed information. Say what? The power was out, fellas, and there is no municipal wireless technology Portland. The two so-called news anchors then returned to their news-free, uninformed speculation on the Virginia Tech shootings.

Mostly, I stayed in bed under four blankets due to lack of heat and I wondered how elders (or anyone else) in the area living alone, particularly those more frail than I, would get help if they needed it. What about people who depend on home breathing equipment and other essential aids that require power? The radio guys gave no emergency numbers so anyone in important but less than immediate, life-threatening need would be required to burden 911 which was undoubtedly already overburdened.

At 9AM, the station began their day-long broadcast of syndicated talk shows such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh whom I haven’t heard in about 10 or 15 years. If you too haven’t listened to these cretins, here’s a tip: don’t. They rot your brain.

So what other lessons did I take away from my 30 hours without power in Portland, Maine? In a broad-based emergency, there is no help, not even any instruction. You’re on your own. And so, my next household tasks are to:

• look into a battery backup for the furnace – if there is such a thing
• never go to bed again without plugging in the cell phone to charge the battery
• stock food more substantial than cookies that can be eaten without cooking
• keep more candles and a couple more flashlights in the house
• consider obtaining a small, propane-fueled stove. I thought a lot about hot soup during the outage
• Find out and keep a list of local buildings that are used as shelters in emergencies

Perhaps native and long-time Mainers are more accustomed such outages than this newbie and already have all this stuff. Perhaps they keep lists of phone numbers and addresses of shelters and services to help out in emergencies. Perhaps they know to keep a larger stock of food and candles than I had.

What I had not considered is that unlike New York City, where I lived for 40 years, there is not the density of people nearby who spend much more time out and about in the neighborhood and know one another. There are not delis on every corner where the moment a blackout strikes, you can pick up candles, matches, bread, peanut butter, batteries and other essentials to have for the duration.

Good lessons to have learned.

[EDITORIAL NOTE: Because I could not post here yesterday, I couldn’t tell you about Tuesday’s automatic post at the Elder Storytelling Place, so I’m leaving it at the top of the page for a second day. Don’t miss the second installment Mick Brady’s series, Imagine a Bridge in the Distance. He has given us a terrific, imaginative twist at the end.]

Comments

[tamarika]

Welcome back, Ronni! What an ordeal. I hope you are warmer because you certainly sound even wiser than you already were!

[Cop Car]

It is too late for this episode, but I recommend that you (and anyone interested in preparing themselves for the unexpected) see the Red Cross preparedness presentation at http://www.redcross.org/email/test/brr/page237.html.
P.S. You've identified one reason why I won't go VoIP. We also stick to using phone lines for internet access because our phone service is more reliable than our cable service.

[M Sinclair Stevens (Texas)]

Yes, after reading about the devastating effects of the storm over at Sweet Pea Chronicle, I wondered how you were faring. I figurerd if you weren't posting that your electricity was down. Glad to hear you are all right.

[bunnygirl]

Living on the Gulf Coast, I always have to think about what I would do if I were without electricity for an extended period of time. Freeze-dried camping/backpacking foods make up a part of my preparedness, and they last for years in storage!

Mountain House http://www.mountainhouse.com/ now has a "Mountain Oven," which one can use to heat up a freeze-dried Mountain House meal. It's listed with their Specialty Items. I haven't tried it yet, but I've got a couple, just in case.

I'm sure other providers of camping and hiking foods have similar items. They're worth looking into, and the freeze-dried foods themselves are tasty.

Bonus: If anyone invites you on a camping trip, you're covered! :-)

[Chancy]

Yep...I did miss you---and Ollie but Crabby held down the fort OK.

Glad you are electrified again.

[Pete]

I spent most of Monday on a train and a bus getting back to , Maine
from NYC. It was a fairly long ride.

Here in Maine, we're really more accustomed to coping with snow and ice emergencies, and a lot of people were really caught off guard. I've been hosting family members without power for a couple of days now.

Somehow my neighborhood was charmed. We didn't lose power, phone or Internet. The six foot artificial palm tree that has spent the winter on our deck didn't even fall over! The storm has been incredibly capricious.

Through all of it, however, I've been thinking of the Robert Frost poem "Fire and Ice." We can add wind and water to Frost's list of things that "for destruction...[are] also great and would suffice."

[Steve G]

Ronni, thanks for your post on living thru the storm. I really enjoy your Portland posts. We were up in Portland from last Thursday and drove back to NYC on Sunday. We personally missed the effects of the storm on the house we are currently renovating but the contractor inspected and said the house was fine. I hope that your house came thru ok too.

Portland am radio leaves a lot to be desired compared to NYC with 2 all-news stations. WGAN 560 is the local CBS affiliate and at least on the weekends seems to have weather and local news updates twice an hour. You would think they would preempt the syndicated shows for local coverage in emergencies like Monday.

[Claude]

Actually, at the beginning of this year, Paris City Hall posted in their quarterly magazine, which is usually totally uninteresting, a whole page about what to do in case of events like power shortage and/or terrorist attacks.
When I read that, I first thought it was exaggerated, especially in a big city like Paris, but more thinking made my blood curdle.

Since then, I have a small gaz stove,the sort that you use on outdoors excursions when you go camping, matches and candles, plus a supply of batteries for my transistor.
Now it's the cold that would really get to me!
I hope you are OK now!
It was certainly not a good time after surgery AND the car at the garage.
How did Ollie take it?

[Ronni Bennett]

Claude: Ollie and I are fine now. It took only a few minutes for the house to warm up after the power returned. While it was really cold, he stayed in bed with me - under the covers.

[millie garfield]

When I looked in on you on Tuesday morning and there was no new post I thought maybe Ronni slept a little later that morning. I checked in on you several times that day and, no Ronni.

Knowing New England I should have guessed that you had lost your power. Glad you are cooking on all burners again.

[Ruthe]

I missed you yesterday, and wondered why you hadn't posted. You're always so dependable.

You've certainly given me a lot to think about. I've got candles and flashlights, thanks to power losses in New Jersey, but I never gave much thought to food. Also want to think about water. There was a water main break today. It's fixed now, but no fun being without for a period of time.

[Joared]

I pretty much figured you lost your power, but hoped there was some sort of alternate system or you could go elsewhere. Glad all is well now.

I think it is nothing short of criminal for radio stations to not be fully prepared to provide the information you described, as a part of their public responsibility for being issued rights to use our public airwaves in the first place.

I would strongly urge listeners in any community where this is the situation, to write letters to the stations for their FCC file which is reviewed when their license comes up for renewal. The letters should describe the stations failure to meet their public service responsibilites in return for being granted the use of our (the public) airwaves -- heck send a copy directly to the FCC, too.

Stations are legally required to maintain listener/viewer(TV) files for just such documents. If this is a weakness all over this country Homeland Security, if no one else, should be highly focused on this, too -- WORKING systems to inform the public.

In this day and age with such an abundance of communication systems I find it incredible that needed information, especially from local stations with local emergency information is so poorly coordinated and available to the public. All this new technology has its definite weaknesses and sometimes gives a false impression of how well it will coordinately work in times of crisis.

I'm fortunate in L.A. to have two all news stations which are about as timely, if not more so, than TV and/or the Internet. I do wonder, however, if something happened in my specific community, how well prepared the local college station, or another nearby local communities station would be to provide the emergency information I might need if the others were down.

In my area we are made very aware of emergency preparedness for earthquake disaster, that would pretty much would apply to any other disaster, too, except the winter need for heat not being so critical here. I've thought of buying an electric generator. Certainly, all sorts of camping gear (like I think of a portable camp toilet if the water system is out)is high on my list, in addition to a supply of bottled drinking water. ;-)

I agree with Cop Car -- I'm not willing to give up my phone land line yet either. Also, I know who my nearest ham radio operator is, the husband of a nurse friend. Always have at least a half tank of gas in the car -- tough if the car is out for repair.

[cesnh]

Hi Ronnie,

Out here in small town NH, we've learned to deal w/ power outages. We own two small Coleman battery lamps - they're cute and work. One is rechargeable so we leave it plugged in. The other uses batteries. Worst problem with no power is no water and no flushing when you have a well. Not fun, but we keep emergency water for the commodes.
As far as medical needs, in our town the electric company is aware of who HAS to have power. Friends who use oxygen keep an emergency tank that requires no electricity. The police have come to the house when needed to move the tank from the garage to the house.
Wishing for spring in New England.
Colleen

[janinsanfran]

Out here in earthquake country, we are constantly advised to prepare to survive 72 hours without help when/if the big one comes. Surprisingly, the city of San Francisco actually has a somewhat useful website about preparedness that I think might be worth anyone looking at.

Now I won't pretend I've done all these things, but I've done some of them...

[Cowtown Pattie]

Now, when we get to the Bend and live off the grid...

*smile* I guess you've had enough living off the grid for now!

[Cindy]

Wow, 30 hours without heat would be hard for me!! Glad you survived and I guess the good that came from this was now you have some real thoughts on how you can best prepare for a future outage. Glad you're back.

[vuee]

Here's one suggestion for info,
Older people in disasters - http://ykalaska.wordpress.com/2006/08/06/older-people-in-disasters/

Remember that anything with a flame or glow burns oxygen and produces carbon monoxide and dioxide. Too many people use their barbecues indoors or kerosene heaters or campstoves (and generators) without proper ventilation. [Since you have a porch/deck/balconey get one of those lovely firepit things from LL Bean. They also have an emergency radio/light/cell phone charger and it gets you exercise by cranking.]

In Los Alamos, NM those who might need an ambulance were registered with the city/power company and their street would be the first to be plowed.

Maybe Ollie would like a Snuggle-sack when it isn't a one-person night?

[Candace]

Hi Ronni

I always wonder about those that depend on electrified medical equipment...

We have a gasoline powered generator stored in our garage. OUr plan for a lengthy power outage is to use it(running outside) to keep the food in the fridge from spoiling.

You and the others had some great tips. We all get very used to our modern conveniences, don't we?

I know you felt disconnected from the world, but with the 24/7 all Vtech all the time...perhaps some silence was a good thing.

[Daniel Goetz]

A couple of years ago we had an ice storm that affected our community in northwest Ohio. Our power went out early one evening with the sharp sound of a tranformer exploding. The TV went black...a good thing! Without the basement sump pump, I knew our basement would flood. On alternate hours from 9PM until 7AM I would either bale out the sump into the sewer or sleep. In the early morning, I noticed a light on at my neighbor's garage. His power came from down a different street. He let me run my extension cord from his garage to my house and I rotated the power during the day from my refrigerator to my furnace blower to my sump pump by running extension cords. Our phone worked but many others did not. We got word to neighbors so they could use it. We also had a gas range so we made soup and shared it with those who depended on electric. My wife and I owned a home care business at that time aiding older adults in their homes. One lady who we helped a couple blocks away was adamant about not leaving her home...even as the temperature was steadily dropping and she was bundled in blankets. Finally, a neighbor and another caregiver talked her into going with me...and bringing her miniature poodle...to stay at our home. It was pay day for my agency and the streets were closed by fallen trees and power lines. I walked the two miles to the office to finish payroll and get the checks in the mail. On the way, I needed to stay clear of trees as limbs and power lines were still coming down. The streets were a maze of wreckage for me. People were beginning to poke out and look around. I warned them of the danger to stay away from the trees as limbs were snapping with little notice.

As moderns, I think we are shocked sometimes to realize how dependent we are on conveniences we take for granted. As we get older and face so many unavoidable losses (jobs, loved ones, mobility, etc.) it is a good time to think of these things, to be appreciative of them and to see what vital links we have and fall back plans upon which to depend.
Dan
ps Ronni...it was nice meeting you at south by southwest last year in Austin. My wife and I have relocated to San Antonio Texas. And...we had the worst ice storm in San Antonio history this past winter...so you never know.

[Vera]

Hi Ronnie,
Glad your back.Your blog was mentioned on RL.Tv yesterday.I'm still waiting for you to appear.My favorites are Dr.Kevan Soden and John Palmer.I'm glad everything is back to normal.Love Vera

[Laura]

Ronni - sorry to hear you had a rough period without the heat. I am glad that you are back, and all right.

I have been without a computer for eleven days (The second crash for a 9 month old Gateway. Arrrgh!)and am just now catching up. Your story prompts me to tell you why I live in Arizona again. Thirty five years ago we lived in Massachusetts for 3 years. We were caught on the Highway in a Noreaster in a Camero convertible, no snow tires, shovel or sand. You couldn't see the side of the road, fence post, or even utility lines to guide you. We got off in the barrow pit and I still don't know how my husband managed to get us out. While he was trying the snow plow had passed with about seven cars following. Thankfully, we were then able to see where we should be going and were gratefully on our way when all traffic stopped suddenly. It had gotten dark by then and my husband said, "Now what?" I looked up and saw the lights of the turnpike. Like Lemmings, we had all followed the snow plow off the highway as it made the underpass turnaround to go back. We had reached to state line between Rhode Island and Massachusetts. We had to go all the way back to Providence, where we had started, and begin again. Hours later we finally reached our driveway had to walk through the snow to our front door because the snow plow had filled our drive. By the time we reched our door my lungs were on fire. After getting my little girl in a warm tub of water, and getting in a warm robe my first words were, "We are going back to Arizona." And we did.

[Darlene]

That last post was from me, Darlene.

[Fake Palm Tree]

Few years ago - they lost power in our neighbor hood for a week in the summer. All the neighbors spent every night barbequiing together and the kids played outside until it was dark - it was wonderful!

[healozone]

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[KeermLare]

ORANJESTAD, Aruba - Felix rapidly strengthened into a dangerous Category 5 hurricane and churned through the Caribbean Sea on a path toward Central America, where forecasters said it could make landfall as “potentially catastrophic” storm.
Felix was packing winds of up to 165 mph as it headed west, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It was projected to skirt Honduras’ coastline on Tuesday before slamming into Belize on Wednesday.
“As it stands, we’re still thinking that it will be a potentially catastrophic system in the early portions of this week, Tuesday evening, possibly affecting Honduras and then toward the coast of Belize,” said Dave Roberts, a hurricane specialist at the center in Miami.

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