{"id":43926,"date":"2012-11-09T07:00:42","date_gmt":"2012-11-09T13:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/f06.70c.myftpupload.com\/?p=7363"},"modified":"2012-11-09T07:00:42","modified_gmt":"2012-11-09T13:00:42","slug":"hurricane-sandy-what-to-add-to-the-fema-survival-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jolenephilo.com\/staging\/hurricane-sandy-what-to-add-to-the-fema-survival-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane Sandy: What to Add to the FEMA Survival Checklist"},"content":{"rendered":"\n[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_fullwidth_post_title featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”4.16″ title_font=”||||||||” title_text_color=”#42313A” title_font_size=”40px” meta_font_size=”14px” background_color=”#B4DBC0″ custom_padding=”50px||50px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_fullwidth_post_title][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ specialty=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”0px||0px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ specialty_columns=”3″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9mZWF0dXJlZF9pbWFnZSIsInNldHRpbmdzIjp7fX0=@” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.16″ _dynamic_attributes=”src” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.2″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]

Hurricane Sandy blew itself out a couple weeks ago, but the clean-up continues. Many people\u2014special needs parents included\u2014are assessing the preparations they made before the big storm and tweaking them for future hurricanes they hope will never come. New guest blogger, Kimberly Drew<\/a>, wrote her first DifferentDream post while the storm was still raging. Read on to find out what she’s adding to her basic FEMA survival checklist so she can meet the needs of her daughter Abbey who lives with multiple disabilities including cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder, hearing loss, microcephaly<\/a><\/span>, and oral dysphagia<\/a><\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Surviving Hurricane Sandy without Power:
Help, Where’s the iPad!<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m on borrowed time\u2026gasoline, and power.\u00a0 Hurricane Sandy has swept through our county and the state of New Jersey in a tree-crashing, flood-rising, power-stealing frenzy.\u00a0 As I type I hear the loud hum of the generator my brother-in-law loaned us today.\u00a0 The gas \u201cfull\u201d line is dropping rapidly, and I realize that my time with power in the kitchen is limited.\u00a0 I\u2019m blessed to say that we\u2019re safe and, compared to our neighbors about an hour away, we are only inconvenienced.<\/p>\n

Hurricane Sandy Logical Preparations<\/strong><\/p>\n

As we were preparing for the storm, I was thinking about how my preparations are different than most. As a parent, you immediately think about what things you need to do in advance to take care of your children.\u00a0 As a parent of a child with special needs, you immediately think about what you will need to do that is above and beyond what is recommended.<\/p>\n

Hurricane Sandy Frustration Avoidance Preparations<\/strong><\/p>\n

I planned for water, food, and shelter with ease.\u00a0 What I did not plan for was the frustration that comes with an interruption in routine and the lack of conventional entertainment.\u00a0 To most, this would seem like an insignificant problem. But for our daughter Abbey, who has multiple disabilities, living without power has proved to be a frustration.\u00a0She woke up this morning and, like many children with special needs, planned on our routine: hot oatmeal for breakfast, school, a signing video with music, lights. It wasn\u2019t even that dark, but she kept pointing to the light switches and signing \u201con,\u201d two seconds later, \u201con,\u201d and again \u201con.\u201d To add to this insult, we did not have hot water for her oatmeal. AHHHH, why didn\u2019t I boil water and keep it in a carafe for the morning?? I\u2019ll be adding that one to the list FOR SURE.\u00a0 When she finally realized that this was not our typical morning, and she was not going to school, she immediately wanted to watch a movie. I said, \u201cNo\u201d for what seemed like the hundredth time this morning, and it was just too much for her. She dropped to her knees and started to cry.<\/p>\n

We were finally able to provide some comfort by getting her iPad out and pulling up the camera roll to flip through pictures. Because she uses it for speech, we have not added any extra apps to it. (This is something else I will change for next time. Some interactive apps for children, a movie, or free children\u2019s books can all be deleted later.) However, just the swiping motion is a comfort for Abbey and her disposition changed immediately.<\/p>\n

Additions to FEMA Survival Checklist<\/strong><\/p>\n

In addition to the basic FEMA survival checklist<\/a><\/span> found on FEMA\u2019s website, may I add:<\/p>\n