Surviving Hurricane Ike: Sunday

1 a.m. I was awakened by a fire alarm in another section of the apartment complex. That’s unnerving when there is no water. Luckily, it was a false alarm. It’s almost too hot to go back to sleep. Why is it 82 degrees in here even though I have the windows open? A quick trip to the thermometer on the balcony provides the answer. Oh. It’s 82 out there too.

9 a.m. Time to toss most of the perishables from the refrigerator. It’s too warm in there. The floor of the freezer has a new color scheme – blue. That’s what happens when frozen blueberries melt. So, it’s time to toss the frozen food also. However, the freezer is still cool enough to serve as my new refrigerator – especially for the cheese. The water supply in the bathrooms seems fine. Maybe I imagined the slow leaks. Potable water supply is even better; at this rate it will last for at least a week. Breakfast is the same as yesterday except that I have a plum instead of orange juice.

10:30 a.m. Scanning radio stations, but can’t seem to get any info on the timeline for power restoration. I’m confident I can stay put for at least two more days with no problem. But, what if the power is out for more than a week? I’m supposed to leave for Paris a week from tomorrow. The last time I was in Paris was 9/11/01. Maybe somebody is trying to tell me something.

Noon. I have newspapers! The paperboy just delivered today’s paper. Yesterday’s too. In the first 8 hours or so, power was restored to 112,000 customers – about 5% of the customer base. At that rate, it will take seven days to get everyone back online. However, they’ll first fix the problems that will have the biggest impact. It will get tougher after they’ve cherry picked. On the other hand, they’re probably not yet fully staffed. Workers will be coming in from across the country to help with the repairs. Since I’m in a relatively densely populated area, they’ll get reasonable bang for the buck bringing me back online compared to some of the less densely populated suburbs. I need more data. For now, I’m assuming my power will be out for 3-4 days. No problem.

2:30 p.m. Lunch is the same as dinner yesterday except sardines instead of tuna. Cell phone is still useless. All I get is “searching.”

8:00 p.m. I was working and forgot to eat before dark. It’s too complicated to “cook” now so I’ll just have snacks. Dinner is carrots, a tomato, cheese, nuts, melba toast, water, and a peanut butter and honey sandwich for dessert. Have to remember to eat earlier tomorrow.

I see flames across the way. One of my neighbors has decided to grill on his balcony. I remind him that we have no water. He says not to worry….

Another day with no electricity, no running water, and no phone. It’s just like visiting my grandmother in the country when I was a kid – without the chickens! I’m actually starting to get used to this life again. And, in a way, without the distractions of the TV, phone and e-mail, I’m accomplishing more.

Related Posts

Surviving Hurricane Ike: Friday The first post in the series.
Surviving Hurricane Ike: Saturday The 2nd post in the series.
Surviving Hurricane Ike: Monday The next & final post in the series. This one has pictures.
The picture is courtesy of Pal2Pal.
Updated 8/27/2011