The past week
has been a sobering lesson in what works and what doesn’t work during a
disaster. My personal experience has been nothing compared to those who
suffered grievous losses, some still displaced. It is heartbreaking and we hope
that conditions improve immediately. There are many ways to volunteer and contribute
We think we
are connected all the time. We comfort ourselves that with all of our virtual
and technological devices we can keep in touch any time any place. And with the
ability to access the Internet, we can get the news easily and effortlessly no
matter what catastrophe befalls us. Well
throw that idea out the window.
We lost our
electricity at 815p on Monday night. About that time, as my AT&T iPhone was
half charged, I could call family and friends to give and receive updates. But
the battery drains quickly so I shut it off to save it for the next day. I
shouldn't have. The next day I had about half a battery charge left but there
was no signal in all of lower Manhattan so there was effectively no service. Isolated
on an upper floor of an apartment building as neighbors left in droves, it is
remarkable that one can be in the middle of a city but suddenly realize that
help was just a little too far away should we need it immediately.
I am so happy
that I am married to a luddite - someone who still has a flip phone and who
listens to his transistor radio every morning. Those vital items were our only
access to the outside world at home for the week since Hurricane Sandy hit. All
of our state of the art devices failed.
Our bundled
Time Warner service - including the landline which we keep for emergencies-
went out with the electricity. I guess
that "landline" phone will be good for any emergency as long as we don’t
lose our electricity.
My husband’s
Verizon flip phone worked beautifully and held its charge through the first
four days. He also started to receive text updates from Con Edison as soon as
the electricity went out .... which my smartphone never did.
His trusty
transistor radio kept us informed, provided a modicum of entertainment and helped
us pass the time when there was not enough light to read. And we subscribe to
print magazines. We could catch up on news from print publications and even read
all the daily delivered newspapers that our absent neighbors left behind.
Vittorio, the
owner of La Laterna, a local coffee shop on Mac Dougal Street, offered free
phone charges from his restaurant's generator. A lifesaver! His restaurant
turned into a lively beacon of community in an otherwise dark neighborhood.
"Connection" in times of catastrophe takes on an entirely different
meaning.
While we
worship all the sophisticated and fascinating things that the newest devices
provide, when the chips are down, it is the older media and forms of connection
that will be there for us. In fact, it may be our only link to the world when disaster
strikes.
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