I’m currently at Disney Springs in Orlando for a work function and as I sometimes comment on disaster preparedness I thought I would give you a run-down of my Hurricane Matthew experiences.
I was vaguely aware of tropical shenanigans in the days leading up to my trip and I did check in with AccuWeather before leaving Michigan but I only took in “60% chance of rain” from all of that. So, I have an umbrella. Prepared, but not disaster prepared.
I got two messages on the day before the conference from the organizers confirming that the event was still on. I figured that they wouldn’t bring us into harm’s way. That was foolish. A Cat 4 hurricane was expected until the last minute. I should have made my own evaluation of the situation, as did the majority of registrants. There were 214 people signed up to come to this shin-dig and only 60 showed.
When the airports closed and it became obvious I would need to shelter in my hotel I took all the reasonable precautions I could. I queried the front desk staff about what would and wouldn’t run on the generators. They reported both the air conditioning and the elevators would run on generator power. That’s important because the heat index is 100 and the windows don’t open. I considered trying to get a room on a lower level (I’m on the 7th floor) but determined I would be OK even if the generators failed.
Hubby always insists that I take a head lamp with me when I travel because sighted people are so useless in the dark but as luck would. have it I forgot it on this trip. Triple drats. We’re buying me a leather man tool when I get back to Lansing as my regular leather man tool is packed in my go-bag. I don’t know of anything I would have done with a leather man tool on this trip other than open than hermetically sealed coffee bags in my room but it will make Hubby feel better.
I brought meds for pain, anxiety, and motion sickness. I’ve needed all three. I’ve had a low grade headache that occasionally arches it’s neck for three days running, I’ve used the Ativan once, and while I put on a motion sickness patch before I left, my re-arranged flight meant it wasn’t going to last long enough so I’m glad I put a little vial of Dramamine in my purse. I’m also grinding my teeth like crazy and I’m a little afraid I’ll break a tooth but there’s not much I can do about that. I think I’m going to suggest to Hubby when I get home that we put together a mini-first aid kit. We have a pretty substantial one that we take with us on car trips but nothing for putting in an overnight bag or suitcase.
I stayed up to date on the weather and airport news but to be honest there is such thing as too much CNN. After a while it only makes you more anxious.
The hurricane was expected between 4 am and 10 am today. I took a shower last night and slept in my clothes in case I needed to evacuate quickly or in the dark. I packed a shoulder bag and put it in front of my door. It contained bottled water, snacks, my medication, and my purse. I had scouted the stairs to the shelter area the night before.
I reached out to friends and family via text to keep my spirits up. I hung out with other hotel guests in the bar, the lobby and the restaurants. I had a drink to help me relax but I didn’t over-do it.
I tried to do my mindfulness practice, something I engage in most days at home as a part of my mental health routine, but to be honest I had a really hard time concentrating.
I haven’t had much of an appetite but I’ve eaten regularly anyway, knowing that if there’s an emergency it might be a while before I see a hot meal. I’ve tried to balance health with comfort food.
Probably the biggest obstacle I’ve faced has been poor sleep.
My mental health has been resilient but that’s normal for me. I tend to do very well in the face of danger or an emergency, and then when everything is OK again I have a couple of days where I struggle. I’m a bit concerned about the poor sleep, which is eroding my inner resources. So far I have a very positive attitude and I’m doing well.
There are a quarter million people without power in Central Florida alone, and there was a curfew last night, and flooding, so outside the hotel people are definitely struggling, but as I was advised, a Disney hotel is a good place to weather a major storm. I plan to write a very positive letter to the hotel chain (Hilton) when this is all over and I’m tipping big to the staff that are away from their own homes and families to take care of mundane tasks like serving food to strangers.
Tomorrow, assuming the airport is able to reopen, I will try to get on the flight for which I am booked back to DTW. That could be an adventure in and of itself.
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