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Oh poor Port Alberni....
Storm Report, Marlene Dietrich, President, Board of Directors. November 16, 2006
The storm that hit the Alberni Valley caused an interesting and exciting day at Abbeyfield. The power went off about 10:30 a.m., plunging the whole town into darkness. Brenda McLean, Constituency Assistant for Scott Fraser, MLA, couldn't get to her office on lower 3rd Avenue because of flooding, so she took refuge at Abbeyfield. Her assistance during the day was very much appreciated. Doreen and Bob Bessette were here almost immediately, and Glad Doyle came to help Rani in the kitchen. We are fortunate to have such great Board Members. Mark Phillips also came to help if needed.
Lunch of soup and sandwiches carried on as usual, and having one of the stoves using natural gas meant that meals were not a problem. We ended up making 'camping coffee' in a pot on the stove. Dishes were washed and sanitized by hand. Phil Dietrich brought a large propane camp light on a tall stand, that lighted up the kitchen almost as well as the electric lights! Brenda brought up two old phones from the basement so we were able to communicate, as cordless phones require power.
Many of the residents gathered around the fireplace to keep warm and to talk about the weather. Mark entertained on the piano, and then Glad played a few tunes. Jack Payne later reported that the winds gusted between 90 and 105 km per hour. There was about 122mm of rain, 66mm of it in three hours!
After lunch we gathered up the candles that were left over from the May Abbeyfield Canada meeting, thanks to Board member Jaci Garcia, and put them on all of the dining room tables and around the front desk. We discovered that some of the emergency lighting did not come on, so that will have to be dealt with. Also, on the south side, the heavy winds blew rain in around the windows, so Betty and I checked them all and put towels on the windowsills to catch any moisture. These windows had all been fixed, but now need to be re-caulked.
It wasn't too dark in the living room, with the large expanse of windows, so the regular Wednesday meeting took place as usual. With no microphone we had to talk very loudly to be heard by all. Ben and Judith, our new resident staff who will be moving in soon, braved the storm to attend, and afterwards the Resident's Society held their bi-monthly meeting with Mary Ella in the Chair. At that meeting, residents decided to change the living room furniture around and bring in the lovely chesterfield that is in the entryway, exchanging it for some of the white chairs.
Not knowing when the power would be restored, it was decided to have supper at 4:30, to take advantage of daylight. Rani prepared lasagna, garlic bread and Caesar salad, and desert was apple pie that had been baked in the gas stove. Mark was pressed into service to shop for the Ricotta cheese needed for the recipe. He got to Quality Foods just before the whole store was closed. Just as we finished dinner by candlelight, the power came back on, about 5:00 p.m. We all gave a very audible cheer!
Then it was time to clean up, blow out all the candles, reset the fire alarm, reset the boiler mechanism to make sure it started up all right, and generally get things back in order. Residents retired to their rooms to catch up on TV programs and news, and to rest and relax after a rather hectic day.
I want to thank all of the staff and board members who came through this emergency situation with such competence and consideration. Also, to the residents, who 'weathered the storm' with cheerful, helpful and good-natured composure.
