I was in rural Maryland during Sandy.
The power went off on Monday at 12:41 pm and wasn’t restored until yesterday evening, that would be Wednesday. Not that many hours really, but it was my longest experience living without running water, heat, electricity, and of course the internet. The week prior I was often wearing shorts; during the power outage I was wearing nearly everything that I packed.
I lived briefly without power while in Ohio during storms, tornadoes, and blizzards. When I was living in the California Bay Area we lost power during my first experience with earthquakes, the Loma Prieta in 1989. What I remember the most about the earthquake was the noise. Actually the noise brought back memories of tornadoes in Ohio. Nature can be powerful and destructive.
At the time I was completing my undergrad degree and working for a group of orthopedic surgeons. I realized how fragile the human body can be when dealing with the forces of nature. In nature there is no right or wrong, no evil. It does not discriminate.
When I was going to grad school in Washington it seemed the power would go off willy nilly, so I started carrying a small flashlight at all times.
I still carry my emergency flashlight. After reading a story about folks stranded in the dark on the subway, I gave flashlights to everyone in my family.
My little flashlight helped me make my way through the dark of the house and it gave me light for reading.
The book I am reading may not have been the best choice–The Night Eternal, the third book in the series by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan.
This was a great sight to see! So many possibilities–a cup of cocoa, a bowl of ramen, a hot shower.
