TWV Podcast Episode 429: Lessons From A Storm

Welcome to episode 429 of The Whole View! This week, Stacy and Sarah take a break due to a power outage from a storm in Sarah’s area, which unfortunately left her unable to complete the research for this week’s scheduled episode. Instead, Stacy and Sarah dive into Sarah’s experience and what listeners can use to prepare themselves for a similar experience. They also discuss climate change, and how important it is for us to do what we can to help the environment.

If you enjoy the show, please review it on iTunes!

The Whole View, Episode 429: Lessons From A Storm

Welcome back to episode 429 of the Whole View. (0:27)

Stacy informs listeners that this show was supposed to be an information-dense show.

However, due to a three-day power outage in Sarah’s area, she could not complete the research to do the planned topic a justice.

Stacy expresses how she’s heard stories from so many others about experiencing record-breaking numbers of storms.

She is concerned about the increasing intensity of these storms and other instances of climate change.

She and Sarah both live on the east coast. But she talks about the concerns she’s had for the record-breaking fires on the west coast this year.

Stacy wants to emphasize that even if you’ve not been impacted by inclement weather, it could happen.

She shares how her neighborhood lost power for six days earlier this year.

She and Sarah joke about how stressful that can be when you have a freezer full of organic grass-fed meat!

Navigating The Storm

Stacy suggests they talk about how Sarah managed without power. She hopes that it can help listeners develop their own strategies for dealing with a natural disaster.

Stacy also shares how helpful her gas generator has been.

She also suggests anyone with the means to get one should look into purchasing one for themselves.

Sarah shares that one of her biggest struggles was her compulsive love of planning ahead.

She shares that there are still many people who were affected by this storm are still without power.

Sarah expresses how concerned she is about the increasing severity and frequency of the storms she’s seen due to climate change.

She also shares how fortunate she was compared to some.

Tips And Strategies Sarah Used

Her camping gear was something she’s the most grateful for having.

Items like chargeable flashlights and a portable cookstove came in so handy. It allowed them to cook hot meals.

She also shares that her portable batteries were all thankfully fully charged when the power went out.

Once the cell tower was back up and functioning, they could still use their phones.

Sarah thinks back to when she was a kid, and the power went out.

She remembers how the only way to find anything out was by talking to neighbors. And they went back to that practice.

Sarah shares how it turned out to be a wonderful community experience she’s very grateful for.

She jokes how impressed she was with the candle collection she didn’t realize she had. She was surprised by how much she impulse buys candles and didn’t know it.

Family Time

She was also grateful for the time she spent coming up with things to do as a family.

With spending so much time at home during the pandemic, they really tried to brainstorm new things they could do that really stand out.

She felt like having no power made her feel even more isolated.

So having “practiced” family time was helpful. They played a lot of board games by candlelight and spent a lot of time together in one room.

Her neighborhood really came together when it came to clearing debris in their yards as well as others’.

She is super grateful to live in such an amazing community.

Increasing Storms Due to Climate Change: Advice For The Future

Another thing that’s been on Sarah’s mind is what she wishes she had. For example, a generator jumped to the top of her list.

She expresses how losing so much food hurt her feelings.

Stacy shares that she and her family bought a cooler for a road trip she swears by.

It plugs into your car and has been very helpful as a portable mini-fridge. If you’re interested in checking out the product, you can find it here.

Sarah shares living as far inland as they do, she’s never experienced a storm this bad.

She feels that she had grown a little bit too comfortable and wasn’t really prepared for an experience like they had.

The Impact of Climate Change

Sarah talks about a previous episode she and Stacy did about sustainability and Mother Earth. And how it impacted her frame of mind during this experience.

2020 has just been so many things one after another, and it caused her to put her blinders on a little bit.

The experience of losing power for so long helped her see that she might have had those blinders on a little bit too tightly.

It allowed her to focus on what she can do to help control her effect on the environment. 20:10

These things happen, and it feels frustrating not just for the experiences you had but also for how our country and the world treat our planet.

Stacy references the practice of showering daily. how there are organisms on us that are actually good for us and don’t need to be removed every day.

Even though we can’t always control our culture, she asks why we have to put everything we buy in plastic.

For example, what is the point of putting a banana in a Styrofoam container and then wrapping it in plastic when the fruit itself comes in its own natural container?

What We Can Do To Help Climate Change

It’s not just about you switching from plastic to renewable sources but changing our mindsets and habits.

Stacy digresses a moment to say that if you’re still using disposable face masks for Covid-19 protection, she highly recommends switching to cotton ones.

Sarah says that not only is it better for the environment, but multiple layers of cotton is actually better for you and your health.

Sarah also takes a minute to shout out to her mother, who has done wonders for making homemade masks for her family.

She encourages listeners to look into buying masks from independent sellers, such as those on Etsy.

It supports people trying to make a living through this pandemic, and supporting small businesses is always a great practice.

Final Thoughts

Stacy hopes that this episode has helped listeners think about disaster plans that could help prepare them.

She says something as simple as a car hitting a telephone pole can cause you to be without power for any length of time.

It can happen anytime, anywhere. Tips like camping gear and other things are great ways to stay prepared.

Stacy reminds listeners that thinking ahead is crucial. When something happens, a lot of people have the same ideas, such as going out to get a generator or a propane take.

This means that when you need something, it might not be available to you, and you’re forced to go without.

Sarah says that by the time they were to the point of considering getting a propane tank, there were none left. The same thing happened with bags of ice to preserve some of their perishables.

She explains that having icepacks already in the freezer, they could have something to put in the cooler to keep things like medication that needs to be refrigerator cool.

Sarah also shares that there were many complications that she hopes she won’t have to deal with next time something like this happens— for example, going to a restaurant for dinner due to not having the power to make their own.

Stacy suggest making a list of the things you can prepare for, as well as the thing you feel like you can potentially make changes to your impact on climate change.

Stacy thanks listeners for joining them in this episode to catch up.

She also assures the audience that they have a spectacular show lined up that Sarah needs just a little more time to research.

Thank you so much for listening and join us next time!