Hurricane Sandy: We are OK. We hope you are too!

we-are-ok

Sorry, no recipe today. However, all is ok and that is a treat for us. Hurricane Sandy was a doozy. It had (and likely will continue to have) severe ramifications for many. In the days leading up to the hurricane, I was not inspired to bake my heart out or create any gourmet meals. I was worried and just wanted to make sure we had the basics covered for the kids.

The root of my anxiety was likely the fact that 2 of my 3 children have life-threatening food allergies and asthma. For someone who plans vacations around the availability of emergency help and proximity to hospitals, the idea that there would be no access to emergency help, if needed, for any period of time was scary.

We hunkered down. We made sure we had simple foods that wouldn’t go bad too quickly like rice, gluten-free pasta, beans and lentil soup. We made some frozen foods like chicken nuggets and fries just in case the freezer went out and they would go bad. We blew up the air mattress, gave the kids their sleeping bags and tried to make it “fun” for them as we braced for the storm to hit.

Winds were crazy, trees went down but, none hit our house and all is ok. In the news, I saw that NYU Hospital’s back-up generator failed and they had to evacuate their patients. This story hit home for me. My oldest, Jake was born severely premature at 27 weeks. He was 1 1/2 lbs and 12 inches long. Yes, you read that right. 1 1/2 lbs. He was in the NICU at that hospital for 2 1/2 months. It was an insane time for us but thankfully, he thrived and is our very own miracle.

I thought about a NICU full of babies, like Jake, having to be taken off of life-supporting monitors and machines and walked down flights of stairs to be put into ambulances and transported to other hospitals. I was overwhelmed!  The efforts of emergency workers and hospital personnel who pulled off that feat were Herculean. They are true heroes.

So, we are ok. That is our treat today. We hope you are too. Other than the fact that my much anticipated 1st day of culinary school was cancelled and postponed until Sunday, I’ve got no complaints! Take care, be well and let’s hope for a smooth restoration of our transportation systems and power for all who lost it.

*Photo of NYC Skyline courtesy of MSN News

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