Hello everyone!

 

Below are some insights into our hurricane experience.

Hurricane Jeanne hit Florida exactly where Hurricane Frances hit. Jeanne however, passed by quicker and had fewer trees to knock down. We stayed at home, since

(a) we didn't want to pack all our stuff up,

(b) we wanted to take cold showers when the AC went out, and

(c) our home didn't receive damage from the last storm.

 

What we didn't realize was that the storm is much louder in a smaller building. After the power went out, we listened to our battery-powered radio and the roaring wind. We watched the wind bow the glass of our sliding door inwards 1 to 2 inches. I put my hand on a window to feel it bending while I watched the power arc. Electricity arcs in green showers at the neighborhood power pole transformers ---they're as frequent and as bright as fireworks. I caught myself pushing against the window. 

That night I couldn't sleep, and read Horatio Hornblower by flashlight. About 4 a.m. I cracked the front door to get some air. (Our apartment door faces in a covered court the size of a living room, so it was protected.) It was so loud, that suddenly it seemed to me like the ocean had rushed onto the land to attack us; that the ocean had "heaved its bounds".

The storm was over within 24 hours. The next morning we held sacrament meeting at home with the bishop's permission. It felt very good to watch Dave bless the sacrament just for me.

We expected to be out of power for 2 days again; instead, we were out 4 days. We ended up throwing out our food. Pre-storm, we cranked the freezer down and made all the ice that would fit. Our meat stayed frozen Sunday; Monday we put the fridge stuff on ice; Tuesday our meat was soft around the edges, and we added the fridge stuff to the freezer with ice from a friend.

By Wednesday, we were tired of being hot and sticky and showering 2 or 3 times to keep cool. We were tired of squatting down to cook on the camp stove, tired of carrying flashlights just to pee or fetch a paperclip or look at the clock. And we just tired, since we hadn't slept well the past 3 hot nights. Now, on Wednesday, we needed more ice and to go to the laundromat. It was the last straw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our friends with AC invited us over for dinner, so we fled. Let everything spoil!!!!!!!!!! When we came back 2 hours later, guess what? Of course: the AC, the lights, fans, and freezer had turned on right after we left. The Miracle Whip and vegetables and meats were frozen solid together. It, and all our frustrations, went in the trash.

After 2 more weeks, we finally took the boards off of our bedroom "cave". (Funny--when we took down the boards, we couldn't sleep--too much light!) But I learned you just become grateful and acclimate. You get used to guessing when it's your turn to make a protected left turn even though the green arrow light is missing. You get used to seeing blue roofs and giant root balls of fallen trees and we're-desperate-to-sell-anything "hurricane blowout" sales. You get used to the idea that things will look a little shabbier since the pool, awning, and roof companies are booked for months.

Of course, I learned from all this. Here are 10 creative ways Floridians used stay cool when the power was out:

• Use a calorie-powered fan: your arm and a car brochure.

• Mist yourself regularly with water. (I felt like a pig I once saw, which walked by the farmer regularly for a squirt with the hose. Dave and I would be reading, and one of us would say "Oink, oink!" and the other would pick up the spray bottle...)

• Sleep on the hard tile floor, if it's cooler. (Dave did. Two nights.)

• Take a cold shower, and let yourself air dry. (No problem, since all the windows are boarded shut.)

• Take icepacks to bed with you. (It's like the winter pioneer hot-brick-from-the-fire-in-your-bed thing, Florida style.)

• Go for a drive. (The car has gas...and AC. Hallelujah!)

• Put your feet in a bucket full of just melted ice water from the freezer. (It hurts at first, but then it keeps you cool while you make invitations for Young Women in Excellence.)

• Go buy something. (The stores had power first.)

• Sit down and do nothing. (You can break a sweat just doing the dishes.)

• Hop the "Park Closed" fence and take a swim in the ocean. (Even if you just sit on the beach, ignoring the stripped plants and storm debris, the ocean breeze can take your mind off the heat and hurricane craziness.)

Lots of Love,

Liz Robertson