This large tree was blown over by Irma just one block from my house. The roots came up entirely and broke the sidewalk curb.
This past week I went through an experience with hurricane Irma that could be called a “disaster.” And I just want to tell you about it because I learned a few things.
We were not hit directly, but if you were watching Irma on TV you know that the storm was so big that the entire state of Florida was affected one way or another.
In Clearwater, where I live, there was no damage to houses and buildings from the wind, but there was a lot of tree damage. In our yard, the hurricane blew out many of the small branches from the trees so there is much more light coming through the canopy (not a bad thing) and some branches came down, but that was it. Others were not so fortunate. Just in my neighborhood several large trees came down entirely and if houses were under them, the house was damaged from the tree falling.
There was just A LOT of debris from overhead trees. The morning after we were all out raking up the twigs and spanish moss, which was all over everything. We all have piles of debris and branches at our curbside waiting for the city to pick it up. When we went out yesterday we passed a very large vacant lot that the city is using to dump all this tree waste. There is just piles and piles and piles of it, so much that ours is still not collected as I write this on day 6 after the hurricane.
We had power and water throughout the hurricane and after. The power flashed on and off all night during the hurricane, but we were able to watch all the hurricane news on TV until we fell asleep at about 5 am. When we woke up the TV was dead and there was no internet or phone. But that was all.
Some of our neighbors, however, are still waiting for their power and internet-tv-phone service to be turned back on. Many are staying in local hotels because the 90+ degree heat is unbearable without air conditioning.
Life as we knew it stopped with the hurricane. We didn’t drive around on Monday, but walked around our neighborhood carefully, watching for downed power lines. On Tuesday we ventured out in the car, but there were no traffic lights so we didn’t go far. The streets were deserted. All the stores were closed. One man with a BBQ business was cooking BBQ on the sidewalk.
Slowly this week, businesses are coming back. We can drive around now because the traffic lights are restored. But even as of yesterday some businesses were still down because they didn’t have power.
And frequently we see caravans of repair trucks driving from one destination to the next to restore power and communications services. It takes time.
And I’m sure it’s like this all over Florida, if not worse.
I wanted to tell you this because you may have watched TV and thought that the situation was far worse. I learned a long time ago that the “news” is sensational. They want readers or viewers or listeners so they can sell advertising. They present what is happening in a dramatic way.
Lesson 1: A Disaster Doesn’t Have to Be a Disaster
The main thing I want to say about natural disasters like this is that they don’t have to be a disaster. The word “disaster” means “opposite of the stars” or something that is out of harmony with life. In fact, hurricanes are not disasters in and of themselves. They perform a vital function of temperature regulation on the planet. They are moving heat from the equator up north where it dissipates. Hurricanes are part of the whole system of nature.
The out-of-harmony part has to do with humans living in a way that is not in harmony with the hurricanes. A hurricane is a disaster only if you are living in a mobile home that will be blown away for sure, or in a flood zone. But even in a flood zone humans can keep a hurricane from being a disaster. In South Florida, for example, they have established building codes so new construction is required to be hurricane-proof. On TV once I saw a man who owns a restaurant in the Caribbean simply lift the floorboard up and hang the chairs on pegs on the wall so the flood waters could come in and not cause damage. He knew there were hurricanes and planned for them. He expected them and figured out how how to live in harmony. Hurricanes were not disasters for him.
When I moved to Florida I knew there was a possibility of hurricanes. And so I purchased a house on the highest hill so I would be out of the storm surge area. The entire city of Clearwater would have to be under water before my house would flood. And it’s also three feet above street level. This was a wise choice for this area. As fun as it might be to live on the beach, the beach is the first area to flood in a hurricane.
I also have learned enough about hurricanes that I can now predict what they will do. I knew exactly what would happen with Irma. I knew we would not be hit directly and that she would be weaker by the time she got to us. So I didn’t panic or board up my windows.
If you live in an area like Florida, where there are predictable natural occurrences, learn something about them so you can control the outcome of what happens to you when they occur.
Lesson 2: Cell Phones Are Lifelines
When power and wired communication services go down, I found that my lifeline was my cellphone. The cellphone service stayed on all during and after the hurricane. While I don’t like the EMF exposure, I love having a cellphone. The industry needs to improve this product to make it safer. Because it really is a good product.
With my cellphone I was able to text my friends and neighbors. I was able to Skype my assistant in the Philippines so she could send the email telling my readers I was OK. I could view news on the internet from my cell phone. I received a warning on my cellphone just before the high winds arrived during the hurricane.
My cell phone was my ONLY line of communication into the outside world until I got my internet-phone-tv back four days later.
The most striking thing for me about the hurricane was how it blew away all the communication between myself and my community. There was just no way to communicate except by cell phone or in person. It was good to experience that simplicity and find out what we would do together when there is no TV. But all the exchanges I have between myself and businesses and community groups was just gone for a few days, and I could see how much I rely on others to provide goods and services in my daily life. We take them for granted until they are not there. And now I see their value and really appreciate them being there.
Lesson 3: Cash is Vital
When the power goes down in a community, it’s down for individuals and businesses. I was surprised to see how many days it took for local businesses to get power back. But even if they have power, the banks might not have power yet.
On Friday Larry and I heard one of our favorite restaurants had opened. Fortunately I had cash because they couldn’t take credit or debit cards yet.
If you have cash, you can get things you need faster than waiting for ATMs and credit cards to come online. We’re so accustomed to electronic money now, but I keep cash for emergencies. And I was very happy I had it.
Lesson 4: Have Food and Water on Hand
As it turned out, our local natural food store opened a few days after the hurricane and they were able to get new supplies of food. But we were ready with about a week’s supply of food on hand.
We don’t have “emergency” food supplies. We always have a week of food available ahead.
Here’s a post I wrote about emergency food: My Idea of 72-Hour Emergency Food
We didn’t buy water in plastic bottles. We filled every glass bottle and jar we had with our own filtered water. And in the end we didn’t need it because we had a continuous supply of water.
Lesson 5: Stay Home if You Can
A reader wrote to me a couple of weeks ago asking about staying in shelters in a nontoxic way.
My thought is that it’s best to not go to a shelter unless you absolutely have to.
We stayed home. If I thought it was necessary to board the windows I would have. But I thought it wasn’t necessary and it wasn’t.
If I thought I needed to evacuate, I would have. But I didn’t think it was necessary and it wasn’t.
I so agree with you, Debra. The media injected massive fear into everyone using sensationalistic comments like “this storm will kill you if you don’t evacuate”, etc., etc. Another one, “Miami will be hit directly and wiped out.” My family from up north kept calling me practically crying and freaking out. Others told me to get the He– out of here. Do they not realize that leaving my safe space with MCS would have possibly killed me before this “so-called” “killer storm?” I spent more time trying to console them, calm them down when, in essence, shouldn’t they have been calming me down? No, i didn’t need calmed because I have lived through a prior hurricane and the nightmare of the news medias crazy fear-based mantras. As you said, Debra, we know how to prepare here and make ourselves safe. Most deaths came from people doing what they are told not to do: don’t walk into flooded areas because you may step on a power line and get electrocuted. They do it, anyway. I learned fear will kill you. I learned that perhaps I was constantly injecting fear into my loved ones about chemicals. Did I want to continue to live like this? Take precautions about chemicals, storms, whatever, but keep fear out of the equation if you can. Another thing I’d like to say is please don’t keep calling and texting. We are boarding up our homes, trying to find ice, water and the necessities of life before the power goes out. We do not have time to answer constant phone and texts that only bring us more fear. Lastly, I learned that my family does not know a single thing about MCS. Haven’t I been over this too many times to count that I must live pretty much isolated from others? They must not have been listening during that phone call. Hmmm….leave for a hurricane??? It’s almost like asking a wheelchair bound person to get up and run a 5K for neurological research. Ok., thanks again for this post because I think we need to examine our lives and consider the source of all the drama-infused “news” and how it really may be taking a toll on each one’s life. Live chemical-free and be fearless. God Bless.
I agree. I rarely watch the news because it’s so sensationalized you rarely get the facts. And even when you need the facts, like after the hurricane, even our local news didn’t tell us useful information like which stores were open. News was pretty much useless for us except to track the storm.