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Riding out the storm...
March 2, 2018
The cleanup from a nor’easter that hit on Friday, March 2, 2018 which left millions without power, also left a legacy of destruction in its wake. Downed trees—one of which struck and killed a local man on its way down. Downed power lines. A tractor-trailer overturned on Rhode Island’s Newport Bridge due to a wind velocity of 50 mph blowing its cargo container. Two chimneys were ripped off a building in Providence. Flooding.
Power outage in the East Bay area where I reside, went out exactly at noon, and mercifully was restored at 12:30 a.m. on the 4th. That’s when I sprang out of bed and hit the ground running to switch on my computer and make up for lost time on social media, the boon and bane for Indie authors.
Prior to getting back in the saddle, I preoccupied my time with furthering a chapter in my WIP by drafting more material in longhand on a legal pad. I finished reading the new LIFE issue devoted to “Casablanca,” a film near and dear to my heart. I worked on crossword puzzles. I cleaned and sorted bureau drawers. A couple of breakfast runs were on my agenda, as was charging my cell phone.
Periodically, I’d turn on the transistor radio and listen to the storm recovery updates on one of Rhode Island’s local AM stations.
I admit to moving closer to the edge of sanity as the temperature dropped drastically on the 4th, and I did my best to stave the cold by wearing two layers of socks and “chilling” with my winter storm jacket on inside the apartment. That night I dined by lantern light, empting a tin of tuna and half the contents from a can of string beans, mixed the two together, and doused the entree with salad dressing. Delicious in a pinch.
If I’ve learned anything from weathering a storm without electricity, it’s that my freezer and fridge will have just enough in stock for me to get by for a couple of days. It’s futile for me to do more than that.
I also acquired a renewed appreciation for the norms in life. It was a blessing to walk along the corridor on my floor with three sets of fire doors open so I didn’t need a flashlight to see in the pitch darkness. I enjoyed the aroma of freshly brewed coffee emanating from behind closed doors. Likewise, the cacophonous sounds of television sets serenaded my ears.
Another nor’easter is forecasted to hit my region by 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 8th, upping the ante from rain to snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Wind gusts are expected to range from 30 to over 100 mph! No strangers to inclement weather and being tougher for it, those of us in New England will “batten down the hatches” and bide the tide of events.
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Web Site:
Eva Pasco's Personal Facebook Page
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Thank you for your detailed account of how you coped. When I lived in the north during my childhood, I can't recall any power outages, although I know we had them. The two that I remember were the one in West Virginia when a blizzard came through and we lost power until 10 pm. I saw lights across the lake and thought about taking my 93-year-old neighbor over there to keep warm at the country club where there were hotel units.
And the time here in Houston where our power outages have been rather short except in 1989 when it got down to 7° and the power company issued four hour rotating blackouts. I got so cold I went up to the second-floor bathroom and ran hot water from my gas hot water heater into the tub to keep the room. Also called the Constable to jump the fence and come inside to light my gas fireplace for me (I couldn't) just before the power came back on.
After hurricane Alicia in 1983 my colleague at the office lost her power for over a month. With my current condition, if the temperature drops below 40° I couldn't stay in my house all night without power. I would get hypothermia. If that happens, I will have to go someplace warm or get in a car and run it.
Ron