POWERLESS

 

Exactly two weeks to the day before Hurricane Ian struck Florida's other coast we experienced an awful storm here. I remember that evening well. It was filled loud booming thunder, constant scary lightning, and strong winds whipping branches around. We were overdue for a power outage I told myself. This is a particularly bad spot for that. And worse, all our outages are lengthy ones.

Around 2:00 AM I awoke in silent darkness. The room was hot and stuffy. My air conditioner & fan were off and no neighbor lights were shining in.

That latest outage lasted from around 2:00 AM to 2:30 PM. Past experience has taught me that when FPL gives you a time power will be restored to add another 6 hours and when it arrives to add another 6 to that!

For breakfast I made tap water tea which I let steep while I washed and made the bed. The tea was room temp but the morning was hot so I didn't mind. Then I grabbed a couple oat & nut bars from my hurricane pantry.

If I wanted a hot meal I would have had to build a fire in my back yard. No internet, TV, or even phone since all I have is a landline. Instantly I was back in the Stone Age! Nor could I leave my house since my garage door is electric. -- There is a manual way to do it, however it won't stay open.

I was worried sick about the food in my fridge & garage freezer. Thankfully both were only half full since this is hurricane season; however food is so costly now any loss is expensive.

During the day between naps I caught up on my mending and scrubbed the kitchen floor.

When power was finally restored at 2:30 PM I prepared a big celebratory meal! My food had held up well with the exception of ice cream which was soupy.

Two weeks later I viewed the devastation and death wrought upon the other coast by Hurricane Ian. Suddenly everything came into perspective. Seeing the tremendous amount of destruction made me sick, sad, and scared. I felt terrible! So many people lost everything and are now homeless. Next hurricane or the one after could do that here! I had been fortunate -- this time!