In Praise of Community by Hylton I Lightman MD DCH(SA) FAAP

Health & F tness In Praise of Community:

Ten Years Since Hurricane Sandy

By Hylton I Lightman, MD DCH (SA) FAAP

Ten years.

It’s been 10 years since Hurricane Sandy blew into our lives, leaving in its wake destruction, devastation and desolation, including my medical office. Ten is a good round number as well as a milestone, so a trip down Memory Lane and a review of the lessons learned is in order.

Preparation, preparation, and preparation. Every day, and especially on the eve of a hurricane, our homes (and offices) should be ready with flashlights (with batteries that work), bottled water, canned food, and other nonperishable foods. The sprinkler system for yards should be turned off; don’t rely on the rain sensor. Property should be secured so there are no potential flying objects. Windows should be taped at a minimum, or boarded up if necessary. Furniture and other objects should be removed from window areas and moved into the center of rooms. Make sure laundry is up to date. If blessed with a full generator for a property, ensure that it has “exercised” regularly and will kick in, should power fail. Fully charge all cellphones and laptops.

Location, location, location. Depending on where your property is can make all the difference with a storm. Is your property prone to flooding or water damage? Put all computers on higher floors or desks to minimize damage. Make sure that your work is always backed up and is easily retrievable. Not long after Hurricane Sandy, I was interviewed for a conference of healthcare professionals on the proactive steps we took to secure our patients important health data. The silence in the room while I presented was deafening because few of those present had never thought about this.

In addition to your workplace, walk through your homes in advance of the storm, viewing your home through the lenses of lost power. Are paths clear? Can you navigate stairs with minimal or no light? Assign a place on each floor of your home for key items like flashlights and candles so you can access them easily, with minimal fuss.

Partner with your insurance broker in advance in reviewing your insurance policies. What does your policy cover and not cover? Do you have flood insurance? You may not live in a designated flood zone, but you never know. Are your air conditioner compressors covered if they’re damaged by water? If you have a full generator, it is not necessarily covered under your homeowner’s policy but requires a separate rider. Question your broker until you’re clear and he has obtained the facts in writing for you.

Also, photograph your home and office and all contents. Perhaps cell phones with cameras were invented for this reason only. It’s always good to have this in any event but especially when completing the voluminous paperwork in the aftermath of a catastrophic event. In other words, don’t wait for the event to happen. Also, list the contents of your home and/or office. Invest the time – even without a superstorm looming – to systematically inventory computer and other equipment, artwork and other valuables, and in the case of my medical office, medical equipment and supplies. Make sure you backup this information to a cloud.

As we approach the end of the calendar year, this is a good time to review your insurance policies. There is no cost in having your agent review your limits and coverages. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Also, this is the perfect time of year with daylight savings time commencing on Sunday, November 6, 2022, to check the batteries in your fire alarm system and your carbon monoxide detectors. Many still operate on batteries, unless you have a new home and they are hardwired into the electric system. Nonetheless, it’s a great time to test these monitors to be proactive.

Interesting fact we learned when wading through that awful aforementioned paperwork: if, G-d forbid, there’s be a terrorist attack, your policy wouldn’t cover damage. You need a rider for it.

Let’s say these preparations are done and you’re staying put during an Act of G-d situation. Do you have an adequate supply of water? Clean laundry? Food? Medications? Do you have highlights of your medical records in case they are needed? If you are the parent or a family member of a person with disabilities who needs access to electricity and other amenities, there is no question here. Evacuate. Evacuate to a place where the person’s needs can be met and guaranteed. Uncomfortable thoughts and questions but it’s best practice to think them through calmly when things are calm and you have a plan. The plan can always be adjusted and/or modified.

Specific to a medical office, we reviewed in advance of Hurricane Sandy our chronic needs patients, contacting and urging those we believed would be best served by not being in the area during Sandy. We accessed medical and pharmaceutical information for all patients so there were no gaps in care.

We worked with the local pharmacists to make sure medicinal needs were met.

Most medical practices have patient portals. I urge you to access your children’s records and make sure that you have on your phones an updated immunization record at all times. You never know when you might need it. What if you don’t yet have an active patient portal account? Then contact your doctor’s office. They’ll be happy to help you.

Once you and your loved ones are secured, please think of others. Speak to your friends and neighbors prior to the storm to ascertain who is home and who might need help. During Hurricane Irma in 2017, the Young Israel of Hollywood, Florida, set up a system to account for every shul member. Mi k’amcha Yisrael.

Stay home and indoors during the storm. Wishing to watch the tidal surge and other parts of a storm may appeal to your wild side, but don’t venture outside. It’s not the responsibility of the police, Hatzalah or other first responders to rescue such people from stupidity.

Social media can be helpful in conveying timely information. Messages of help across different platforms were launched during Sandy. Used correctly, social media is not an evil, Satanic force but is a powerhouse to move people along a continuum of survival and good. There have been other hurricanes in this country since Hurricane Sandy. Government officials have tried alerting workers to the “speed of action, scale of aid, and interagency coordination that can set a strong foundation for helping

It’s here that I sing praise for the power of community. The Jewish community near and far helped us. We will always remember the tractor trailer trucks filled by Frank Storch and his fellow Baltimoreans that brought much relief to this part of the world. There were the tireless efforts of the Davis Memorial Fund, Tomchei Shabbos, Achiezer,

Ten years since Hurricane Sandy and so much water under the bridge.

people and communities restore their lives and activities.”

These are nice words but based on our experiences, that’s all they are. Nice words. I’m not sure anyone can ever measure the overall stress and displacement and their effects on physical health. Never mind the exposure to mold. And this was before the pandemic. and key individuals who prefer not to be named. And many more.

On a personal note, thank you ad infinitum to The White Shul which provided me with space to see patients while the office was rebuilt. Our temporary clinic, replete with Costco tables as examination tables and office dividers to construct cubicles, drew visits of top officials from three major New York area hospitals to see how disaster planning, combined with community support, can affect a win-win for all.

Ten years since Hurricane Sandy and so much water under the bridge. And may the water stay where it is supposed to stay.

Ten is a big number in Judaism. There are the Ten Commandments. G-d required 10 righteous individuals in Sodom to avert Divine punishment. And 10 men constitute our minyan, our quorum for prayer. Ten constitutes one of our spiritual communities.

It’s ten years after Sandy, and truth be told, we should live each day to the fullest, appreciating G-d’s blessings. By knowing and recognizing G-d’s blessings, we are well on our way to being prepared for anything in life.

As always, daven.

Dr. Hylton I. Lightman is a pediatrician and Medical Director of Total Family Care of the 5 Towns and Rockaway PC. He can be reached at drlightman@totalfamilycaremd. com, on Instagram at Dr.Lightman or visit him on Facebook.