Reflections on Sandy

Darkness of Sandy

Like many others across the northeast, I have been affected by Hurricane Sandy.  My husband and I are some of the lucky ones. Our home is intact and without major damage and most importantly, we and our loved ones across the region all made it through the storm safely.  We are still without power, heat and phone, as are many in our area .  The tragedy of the storm is obviously widespread, but I thought given the topic of this blog I'd add some color on the everyday challenge it poses for someone with my medical conditions. For a couple hours on Friday, I was able to make my way to an office that has power to warm up, charge up, and write this quick post.


Living without power and heat has added a new dimension to trying to manage my health conditions.  Taking medicines, cutting pills and trying to make sure that I am taking the right one in the right amount by flashlight is definitely a challenge. There has also been the issue of timing of medication. Yes, I am one of those people who rely on my cell phone to tell time and I never wear a watch.  Those watches that I do have are tucked away somewhere very safe, definitely not too be found during a long-term power outage.  This obviously leaves more room than usual for error, but taking my medicines a bit off schedule is better than not taking them at all.

Luckily (and not by my own volition) I knew where all of my medicines were when hurricane hit.  My husband, a former Boy Scout, made me pack an emergency “to go bag” in case we needed to leave our home with a moment’s notice.  Yes, I did complain and whine when he insisted I put them all in a bag by the door...since it was inconvenient to keep walking over to use them, but, as much as I hate to admit it, he was right.  If it weren't for that bag, my medicines would not have been organized and easy to access in the dark.

In addition, I have major food challenges.  As I have written about in previous posts I have very severe food allergies, my newest one being to the ubiquitous corn.  Most non-perishable foods have corn or corn derivatives in them, which makes refrigeration particularly critical for me.  And I can't risk needing medical services when many of our hospitals are without power and closed.  Thank goodness we bought a five pound bag of rice before Sandy hit to keep me going and there have been dry ice distributions to keep some of our perishable items cold so that I have something to eat.  One saving grace is that we do have a gas stove, so I have been able to use it while I am cooking by flashlight.

So, here we are, living like it is 1900.  Playing cards by flashlight and listening to an emergency crank radio that my mother bought me a few years ago (clearly my family worries more about disaster preparedness than I do).  It was charming the first night, but by day two were were ready for things to start to return to normal.  Signing off for now as my brief stint with electricity is over for today.  Perhaps we will be lucky and have power tonight.