The Reality of Being a Mom During Hurricane Beryl
Vol. 1, No. 25
You’re reading Modern Motherhood Musings, a weekly newsletter written from one mom to another. Each week I share an honest reflection on motherhood, and a collection of things bringing me joy. I’m passionate about community, and I hope that by sharing our stories, we all feel a little less alone. Disclosure: Some links in this newsletter are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!
📝 This week’s musing…
Last weekend we found out that the earliest category 4 hurricane on record was heading directly towards the Texas coast and would likely hit somewhere close to Houston, where we live.
We did the usual hurricane prep, bought plenty of water and food, secured any items that were outside, packed a small bag, charged all our electronics and made sure we had plenty of flashlights and batteries, but absolutely no amount of storm prep would equip me for weathering a hurricane with two young kids.
Although everyone’s experience has been different this week, I know that it’s been hard for everyone. I feel impassioned to share a collective account of what I’ve lived firsthand, and seen and heard from other moms. Stories are powerful, they connect us, and they remind us that at the end of the day we’re all humans, just trying our best to make it through life's turbulence.
We had a sleepless Sunday night between the anticipation of the storm’s arrival and anxiety about its impact, so by the time it started raining early Monday morning, we were already exhausted. Unfortunately, the power didn’t last long, and gave out just as the outer bands arrived.
We sheltered in the master bedroom and assured both boys that we’d done everything to prepare, and that we would keep them safe, but as soon as the rain intensified, our smoke and CO2 alarm started to go off, immediately causing my anxiety to skyrocket. We called the fire department who told us we’d need to evacuate immediately in case it was carbon monoxide, but where are you supposed to go when there are 80mph winds raging and buckets of water falling from the sky? Thankfully our neighbors took us in until it was safe to go back to our house.
By the time we returned home it was around 10 a.m., but it felt like we had already lived a week, and this is when survival mode began. We spent the morning with no power and a sliver of hope that it would return. Since there isn’t much else you can do, as soon as it stopped raining most of the neighborhood headed outside to assess the damage, and start clearing debris.
I don’t think people fully understand what it means to lose power, particularly in the dead of summer in Texas where the heat index hit 106º this week. The inside of your house gets hot and humid really fast, and it’s dark because you’re either under rain clouds or have closed the curtains to slow the rising temperature.
You can’t use a microwave, an oven, the washing machine, the TV, or the radio. You can’t open your fridge or freezer because that’ll speed up the rate at which things begin to spoil. You can’t plug in a fan to stay cool. Parent’s can’t warm milk for their babies or turn on a sound machine to help their kids nap. You’re doing dinner time, bath time, bedtime, and middle of the night feedings with a flashlight, or completely in the dark.
Relocating for a night or even a week to get out of the heat is an endeavor, and many of my friends and neighbors are from out of state, and don’t have any family nearby who they can stay with. Hotels haven’t been an option either because they’re either sold out, without power, or charging exorbitant prices.
And.. trying to keep kids entertained and calm throughout this is a feat in itself. Kids are smart, and they sense when the adults are worried, which in turn causes all kinds of erratic behavior. How do you keep your kids morale high, or soothe their meltdown, when you’ve also cried daily and lost your temper with everyone in the family?
As parents we’re hanging on by a thread this week. In addition to having no power, we’ve had no childcare because daycares and camps have been closed. One of the saddest and most frustrating parts in all of this is that multiple friends have been trying to be fully engaged and plugged in at work, because that’s what’s expected. I’ve had friends working off of generators, or driving through flooded streets to get to a friend or families house with power and Wi-Fi so that they could log into work.
What are we doing to ourselves as a society when we don’t feel like we have the ability to take time off and take care of our family after a natural disaster?
We have friends down the street with a two week old baby who is at heightened risk due to the heat. I know a mama who is nursing and had to find a way to store her breast milk. Another friend is going through IVF and had to wait for hours for her weekly monitoring because so many clinics in the area are closed, and her doctor was trying to see multiple additional patients. Another friend of ours had to sleep in their van with the AC running to keep their 3 kids cool. The list of challenges is endless.
But…I’ve seen so much beauty this week too.
I’ve watched neighbors clear fallen limbs from each others yards without being asked. Friends with power open their homes to others for a break from the heat, an outlet to charge their phones, a hot cup of coffee, or a place to do laundry.
Neighbors have helped run an extension cord next door so our friends could set up a window AC unit and cool down their kids. Other neighbors helped us run power to our fridge so we wouldn’t lose everything inside.
Our neighborhood moms text thread has been a constant support system flooded with information about where to find cooling stations, which gas stations have the shortest line, which roads to avoid due to flooding, and what the latest Centerpoint power restoration ETA is. We’ve offered to check on each other’s houses, take in each other kids, and be an ear for each of us to vent our frustrations when they undoubtedly arise.
As a native Houstonian, I’ve lived through many hurricanes, and each time I’ve been reminded of the goodness of humanity. As I’ve watched strangers come together to help each other out, it’s re-established my belief in the importance of getting to know your neighbors, and investing in your community. When you live in a city prone to erratic weather and Ill equipped for natural disasters, you quickly learn that you can’t survive life in isolation.
I know we’re ready to wave Beryl goodbye, but one thing I hope stays with us is the importance of being there for each other, because we don’t just need each other during the hurricanes, we need community through every season of life.
Sweet boys helping clean up debris after the storm.
✨ Friday favorites…
🖍️ My parents bought this Fun With Foam kit for the grandkids and it was the perfect zero-mess craft activity. It kept multiple kids spanning different ages entertained for hours.
👙I’ve hated swimsuit shopping since having kids, but I found this one from Target and it’s so flattering. It’s the perfect swimsuit to chase after kids but also feel a little chic.
🥑 It’s a small thing, but we eat a lot of avocados and these avocado savers have been the best way to not waste a perfectly ripe avocado.
👯♀️ From one mom, to another…
Your words of wisdom, best piece of advice, and favorite hacks can make a difference in another mom’s journey. What has helped you survive this season? Email me to be featured in an upcoming newsletter.
❝
British Airways offers bassinets if you book a seat across from a “cot stand”. They set up a bassinet when the seatbelt sign is off, and it was great! Our daughter slept the whole flight.
- Anonymous
If you enjoyed this week’s newsletter, I’d love it if you’d use the button below to share it with another mama!
As of Thursday evening there were still over 1 million people without power in the city of Houston. Please be praying for all those families!
Happy Friday, Friends!
