The recent Nor Easter was not as bad as the media led me to believe. I was lucky and did not lose power or have any trees or limbs come down around the house. Not everyone was as fortunate as many lost electricity and the coast was battered causing lots of erosion and storm damage.
Every time a storm is heading toward the Cape, I feel my anxiety rise. Most media outlets pump out doom and gloom regarding storms and that always strikes fear in me. I immediately envisioned trees falling on the house. Power out for a week. Inadequate food and water supplies. The list goes on.
I probably worry too much, but that didn’t’ stop me from wondering how much of the “emergency food” I bought might go bad if the power fails and I don’t eat fast enough. I was outside Friday evening putting a few outdoor chairs in the shed and securing other things that might sail away in a mighty gust of wind. I charged my small power bank wondering if it would charge my phone for the duration or if I’d need to find another source.
I brought up two beach coolers to the kitchen – ready to unload my refrigerator into them at the appropriate time. Half-burned candles from the last storm were gathered and I turned on my flashlight to make sure it was still working.
I’m not one to host a hurricane party, so I got comfy on the couch with a book and tried to absorb the story as the wind whistled around the house. Local emergency services left a recorded message on my phone with a few safety and numbers to call as needed.
It began to seem as though this storm wasn’t going to live up to the Weather Channel’s expectations for my area, but I wasn’t sure if it might pick up the following morning. It didn’t. I was delighted and hoped the damage was minimal across Cape Cod. As the rain continued, I was thinking of my gutters. How clean were they? Would water be spilling over and pooling by the house? Was my basement ready for that?
Fortunately, the storm wasn’t as damaging in the widespread manner they touted on TV. There was certainly a lot of coastal erosion that will need to be addressed. I hope everyone effected has a path forward and can get any assistance needed.
Nothing like a storm to set my anxiety on full tilt. Everything seems so fragile when the media starts creating a frenzy around Mother Nature’s latest storm. You’d think my house was collapsing on top of me the way I worry.
At least I would have had enough canned goods to last a few days. Does anyone else feel a bit of panic set in when the Weather Channel begins hyping a local storm? What do you do to prepare?
By CapeCod.com staff
