I'm back! We didn't lose power during the hurricane, but on Saturday after the storm, we lost internet. That happens sometimes after storms but it usually comes back online once they've fixed whatever issue they took it offline to repair. Only, ours hasn't turned back on yet. We're trying to be patient because this is so minimal compared to what others are experiencing, especially in North Carolina. But still...
Hurricane Melvin clean up hasn't been bad. As I said, we never lost power and you'd be amazed at how much easier cleaning up is when you have power. Not only do you have the tools to help you, like a leaf blower, but you come inside to air conditioning, which is unheard of after a hurricane!
Another first for me was working in a facilities department during a hurricane. Most of you know that a few months ago, I left Junior Achievement and joined the staff in Facilities and Business Operations at the University of Central Florida. It has turned out to be a significant career change for me since I chose to go the operations route instead of the education route for a next career step. And I had not felt that change more than I did over the past week as Hurricane Melvin came close to campus.
I was in on emergency operations calls and meetings the week leading up to the hurricane as we prepped campus and housing for what looked like was going to be a category two storm. But my role is primarily strategic operations and large projects, neither of which are particularly useful during a weather emergency. So, I provided absolutely zero help. I just watched and learned as the team around me sprung into action.
By Friday when the storm had passed, Chris and I made sure our house was okay (it was; no damage at all) and then we went up to his theater to check the property. They have flooding and roof leaks during even small thunderstorms, so hurricanes are always a pain for them. Their floor was all wet and their walls were leaking (did you know walls could do that?!), but structurally everything was good. So, I checked in with my boss at UCF to see if there was anything I could do to help.
He said that the emergency response team was meeting at 1:00 on Friday to do a campus inspection and they could use all hands for that. No problem, I said.
But when I showed up to the office, I was clearly a problem.
First of all, it looked like a FEMA response center in our conference room. There were almost 100 people in the room waiting to be given their building assignments. Working in teams, they would be given a few buildings to inspect room by room for damage. And these guys were ready. They were all wearing rain jackets and boots. And it was pretty much all men in the room.
And then I walked in.
Y'all.