The Calm Before the Storm
“I don’t see America as a mainland, but as a sea, a big ocean. Sometimes a storm arises, a formidable current develops, and it seems it will engulf everything. Wait a moment, another current will appear and bring the first one to naught.”
- Jacques Maritain
It’s only 4:00 p.m., yet I am utterly fatigued. I only got a few hours of sleep last night and then had to go to work today. I haven’t eaten in over half a day. I’m pooped.
I was supposed to be on call this Saturday, but due to hurricane Irene coming, and the citywide evacuation, I will be staying at the hospital for the entire weekend and will be holding up the psychiatric emergency room, and any other place that needs me. I will be packing a “hurricane kit” and then will go in to the hospital tomorrow, with the hopes of leaving by Monday morning. Fingers crossed.
New York City is in a state of panic/emergency preparedness. Hospitals have been evacuated. Entire neighborhoods have been evacuated. The subway and busses will shut down tomorrow at noon. Hundreds of events have been cancelled. The city is preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best. I saw crowds of people coming out of the grocery store with bags of bread, milk, and water on my walk home. The gas pumps were crowded with folks filling up. Many ATMs have run out of cash. I still need to stock my fridge, although I won’t be spending my time at home.
While I’m not excited about the idea of spending 2+ days at the hospital, I’m happy to be a doc who can help in some way.
Time to buy some groceries, eat some food, and take a huge breath before the storm.
I’m going to try and tweet/blog my experiences in the hospital during the hurricane, internet willing. So stay tuned.
Photo: The first sunset I saw while living in Dominica