by Sharon Strzalkowski | From BayLines Express, November, 2024
On the morning of September 25, I was outside at 6:35 to get my shared van to the airport and onto a retreat in North Carolina. “Candle in the Window,” a wonderful non-religious retreat just for blind and low vision people, was planned for that Wednesday through Sunday the 29th at a Lions Club camp/retreat center. Excitement was high as we all gathered there, as many people already knew each other and were anxious to meet others that they didn’t already know.
It was quickly clear that we would be accompanied on our retreat by the torrential rains that came before Hurricane Helene in that part of Carolina. Shoe squelched, socks wouldn’t dry, and guide dogs had to be toweled down on a regular basis. During the first few days, we also had two tornado warnings, and had to shelter in interior hallways, and in one case actually lie on the floor as the safest place to be.
But my story is really about the evacuation that we had to go through on Friday, Sept. 27. We lost power, cell, and Internet service, thus making it impossible to track the storm and tornadoes. Our retreat center director rightly feared that these crucial services would not be restored any time soon. Having us stay there would be very difficult and unsafe for us and for the center, so we quickly packed up our belongings, and boarded buses to get out of the area. We were taken to a rather unsavory motel, which was able to accommodate some 15 people. The motel was on a highway with lots of traffic noise, a strip club next to us, and the clear sense of a transient environment. I felt fortunate that we had to double up with a roommate, as this made me feel somewhat safer.
The weird part about the evacuation is that, at least for a little while, we all felt isolated from each other, since we could not walk down a hallway or meet at a restaurant in the motel. But then the group text thread kicked in, and we were off and running. We learned who was where in the motel, and organized getting together for meals. On Friday night we went to the Waffle House, in walking distance, and partook of their emergency menu, which tasted pretty good at that point. On Saturday night we Ubered to a Mexican restaurant and were able to eat outside.
The lesson in all of this was how working together in a community made a difficult situation infinitely better than it might have been. Our retreat theme for this year was Nurturing Community, and we had real practical experience in getting this to happen. Our week was nothing in comparison to the experiences of the millions who faced the destruction of their homes and more, but it was certainly disorienting. We are all forever grateful for the quick actions of the retreat center director. We learned later that the whole area was evacuated later on Friday.
I often fear for us blind people in case of an emergency. I know that our situation at the retreat was unique, but still, it made me think about what I might do when facing an emergency without the support of a big group, and I am trying to track down answers as to how such an emergency would be handled in my city. I hope that you will all do the same.