Still offline from H. Sandy

[smurff]

We still don't have power in my neighborhood so not only are there no lights, there is no heat (electric pumps and ignition for gas system), no phones, no internet, no cable, and we only got cell phone service yesterday.  There is a Stygian darkness in our building ( built 1950s) and many elderly residents have already been involved in small candle-based fires with their bedding.  Yesterday the fire department came by at the behest of a family member to check on a disabled elder to see if she were still alive. She was, but she was in dire straits, bedridden with no flashlight or other light source, no food, refusing to be moved to a safer location--one where her personal care aid can help her, etc. So unless her family comes and forcibly takes her to help we may record the first casualty from H. Sandy in our building. (she refuses food and other aid from us, too, but we do the best that we can).

I'm at the new York public library using their wi fi on my iPod and enjoying the sunlight.  I guess I'll do this every day or so until the power grid is restored.

[Ad Orientem]

Smurff
You and Reub are in my prayers. Stay safe and hang in there. Things are getting better even if its is really slow at first.

[Storm]

That's a very sad story about the lady in your building.  I hope someone can help her, but it seems as if she's refusing help at this point.  What's the responsible thing to do in that situation?  Have her committed?  I mean, it's tragic, really.  It seems there is a line between respecting someone's personal freedom and liberty and wanting to help them ease their suffering that is tough to figure out sometimes.

[MachineGhost]

That's a very sad story about the lady in your building.  I hope someone can help her, but it seems as if she's refusing help at this point.  What's the responsible thing to do in that situation?  Have her committed?  I mean, it's tragic, really.  It seems there is a line between respecting someone's personal freedom and liberty and wanting to help them ease their suffering that is tough to figure out sometimes.

I think old people should not be given the benefit of doubt anymore than a 5-year old would.

[smurff]

We got a generator hooked up to the furnace on Friday so our building has heat and hot water. And we got cell phone service on Friday also. So things ate looking up.

Con Ed claims the transformer will be repaired by November 11.  They sent a rep go the area on Saturday to do an 'assessment'. He came in from the cold and called his con Ed division but they put him on hold. It turns out they have to order a replacement transformer; as soon as the post office (or fedex) delivers it they can get to work. I hope it's still in stock. 

Thanks for all the prayers. The old lady will be taken care of--apparently this happens frequently with certain elders and the building staff has perfected their technique for pressuring relatives into taking charge of their elders lives and affairs when they can no longer do so.

Meanwhile it's party central. We hooked up a generator--a different one--to the rec room and every night we order pizza and drinks for everyone who comes down go recharge phones iPods laptops and ebooks.  We've taken out the old fashioned games and learned to entertain ourselves. I have already learned to play Rummy O.

[Pointedstick]

That's great to hear! Nothing like a crisis to bring people together, huh? I really wonder about those old folks, though. Why are they living alone if they have such difficulty taking care of themselves? Are their children or other relatives unwilling to take care of them, or are they unwilling to relocate to be closer to a familiar support network? What a terrible tragedy to be all alone, unable to take care of yourself in a situation like that.

[Ad Orientem]

We've taken out the old fashioned games and learned to entertain ourselves. I have already learned to play Rummy O.

Oh the HORROR! A world without Xbox and Call of Duty 3. The very thought makes me wonder if God might not be sending a message.

[smurff]

Various residents have rigged up car batteries with inverters and can now have brief Internet and cable service. I'm enjoying the vacation from most home electronics, and for blessings I was thankful that there was no continuous stream of election results coming over the transom.

We also connected generators to the lobby so there is full lighting there. And I went to home depot and stocked up on better battery op lanterns, so I don't really miss anything but convenience.

The elderly situation:  this is a building where many residents choose to "age in place" (instead of moving to Florida or a retirement community, they stay where they are), but that was not the situation of the elderly lady in question. Her sibling bought a coop and installed her in it a couple of years ago because (according to accounts) she was so "difficult" they did not want her living with any of them and it was cheaper to pay six figures for a coop plus monthly maintenance and a personal care attendant rather than pay for assisted living or a nursing home.  It was not apparent that this was their intent until recently (it seems there have been other incidents).

The coop board may have to come up with new rules after this emergency.