Days with 120 hours of power outage
[Hurricane Sandy Impact in the East United States] Report
Photography/Liao Meihui
On October 29, 2012, Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the eastern United States, paralyzing New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Among the KRC editorial team members, Gao Lili, Liao Meihui and Wu Xinhui happened to live in the "disaster area" and were deeply affected. The following is a report and sharing of the current situation of Mei Hui and her daughter Wang Yi.
When my children were young, they asked my husband: "Why do we live in New Jersey?" My husband always said half-jokingly: "Because there are no earthquakes in California, hurricanes in Florida, or tornadoes in Texas. Hurricanes can't blow here." New Jersey, the hurricane will turn out to sea at most when it reaches Maryland..."
In the past 100 years and more, New Jersey on the east coast of the United States has indeed not experienced major natural disasters. At most, it has been minor floods or snowstorms. I have lived on the East Coast for more than ten years and have rarely experienced power outages. At most, the air conditioner was used too much and the power went out in the summer. The power returned to normal within 24 hours.
Strong "Sandy"
At the end of October 2012, Hurricane Sandy, a once-in-a-century hurricane, struck, claiming more than 100 lives. The New York subway was flooded and paralyzed, 10,000 plane flights were grounded, and one million households had to be evacuated. Eight and a half million households suffered power outages... The densely populated and bustling states of New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey on the east coast of the United States turned into dark cities overnight; the formerly beautiful Jersey Shore was unknown. When will it reappear...? It is estimated that the total damage caused by Sandy has exceeded that of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005.
On Monday, October 29, schools in the areas affected by Sandy announced full closures. In the morning, I watched the TV news report on the typhoon dynamics. Many curious people ran to the beach, seemingly unafraid of the belated arrival of "Sandy". In the afternoon, the mayor of New York and the state government loudly shouted: "People living on the beach or in low-lying areas must evacuate before evening!" Many people remained indifferent.
After dinner that day, there was a strong wind and rain, and several big trees in the front and back yards were blown by the wind and swayed like claws, which made people feel frightened. I prayed repeatedly in my heart that these big trees would not fall down. While I was washing the dishes, the power suddenly went out, and then came back a minute later. Like a "child herding sheep", the power came and went out, and the power went out and then came back... After the fourth time, the power never came again. Our whole family also entered an unprecedented 120-hour power outage.
▲After the hurricane, the 40-year-old trees in Meihui’s backyard and her neighbor’s house were blown down by the wind. Fortunately, no one was damaged and the house and car were not damaged.
Break away from "Sanden"
The day before the typhoon, I bought some extra vegetables and the whole refrigerator was full. I thought I wouldn't go out for a few days, but I didn't expect that the more I bought, the worse the losses would be. There was a power outage and there was no generator at home. Thirty-six hours later, the refrigerator started to smell bad. After forty-eight hours, I couldn't bear it anymore and started overhauling the refrigerator. All the chicken, duck, fish, and beloved cheesecake in the freezer were thrown into the trash. If I don't stop doing that, I might as well clean up the bottles and cans in the refrigerator. Unexpectedly, it was a blessing in disguise. The refrigerator that had not been cleaned for a whole year was forced to be tidy after a 120-hour power outage, which made people feel refreshed. Now I have to be more careful when buying groceries and don’t dare to buy too much, otherwise I will suffer heavy losses if there is a power outage one day!
During the 120-hour power outage, apart from the inconvenience of not having a refrigerator, there was also no heating, so I fell asleep early at night wrapped in two large quilts. As for the "three electricity" that seem indispensable in daily life-telephone, computer, and TV, they don't cause me much trouble. In fact, I still miss the days when I was away from "three electrics" for a whole week. It seemed that I suddenly had more time, and I even didn't know what to do. Another experience during the 120-hour power outage was queuing to "refuel". There was a long queue at the gas station about 500 meters away from the alley, and it almost reached my door. This was truly an unprecedented "grand occasion". On Wednesday morning, my husband left for work at 8:30. He called back two and a half hours later and said he was still waiting in line at the gas station in front of his house! It was also reported on TV that some people pulled out guns to fight for gas. This is really outrageous!
▲After the typhoon, there was an oil shortage. Many people had to walk to the gas station carrying oil barrels and queue up to pick up oil and go home.
Author profile
Liao Meihui has determined to be a reporter since she was a child. She is currently a special correspondent for the New South Wales "Hanxin Monthly". She has won the first prize for news reporting from the Independent Press Association in New York and has won several awards.