Code Red

"This is your 7:00AM Code Red update from the Westport Police Department. As of 7:00AM this morning 48% of our residents are without power. Many of the towns roads remain impassible do to fallen trees and power lines. We have crews coming from New Hampshire to help with the clean up effort. However, it will take several days to complete the clean up. In the meantime please stay off the road, don't attempt to drive through flooded areas or around fallen trees. Please keep all children and animals inside to minimize the risk of injury. This has been the 7:00AM code red update."

We've been getting these updates via telephone morning and night since the storm hit on Saturday morning.

Although I feel like I'm on a stranded island with my food supply going down quickly, I feel incredibly reassured by these Code Red updates. Seriously, it's a small thing but knowing what's going on outside of my driveway, is incredibly reassuring, even though we're all about to lose our sanity because the kids and I have been house bound for three days straight. Somehow these Code Red keep me connected to the outside world. They make feel that progress is being made. In the 15 years that I lived in NYC, I never once received a message from them! I guess that's the advantage of living in a small town.

Having said that this experience serves to remind me that I'm way too laid back when it comes to preparing for an emergency. We're incredibly lucky that we still have power and that I can cook endless plates of pasta and the kids can still play Wii. But do I have extra water? No Did I recently check to see if I have working flashlights? No Did I check to see if I have matches handy? No Do I have all of my important family papers in one place? You guessed it.

So when this is all over I'll get prepared for the next emergency, before it happens. In the meantime to add a little variety to the pasta and pineapple menu I'm going to make double chocolate cupcakes with the last egg we have in the fridge. It'll give us something to do (ie the kids can mix and I can clean up!) and it will cheer us all up!