5 Lessons from Hurricane Sandy

I think everyone was caught off guard by Hurricane Sandy. I think we were all thinking it would be just like Hurricane Irene, but it was a different beast. Some people have homes flooded, others lost them completely. Even entire communities were leveled. Alhamdulillah, I didn't have it that bad, but I did lose electricity and heat for about two weeks. It was tougher than I expected, but lessons I learned from the experience greatly outweighed the hardship. Here are five of them:

1. We're not as self sufficient as we think we are
   On the second night of the storm, when the winds started to pick up and the lights started flickering, we had an idea of what was coming. Last year, during Hurricane Irene, we lost electricity for 6 days, so when we the lights went out, we weren't too surprised. No electricity and no internet was more of a nuisance than anything else. Not really a hardship. But the pain started when the heat started wearing off. Hurricane Irene hit earlier in fall, while Sandy came closer to winter. It was getting really cold. Sleeping would require multiple uncomfortable layers on every part of the body and getting out of bed would be impossible if we didn't have warm water for showers. I realized that in our normal day to day lives, we feel like everything is in our control, but it only takes a few downed wired to put us back in our place and realize all this stability is only thanks to Allah. The challenge though is to remain grateful to Allah after our luxury returns.
   
   
2. Life without internet isn't so bad
   Before Hurricane Sandy took out my electricity, it would be safe to say that I was spending a bit too much time on my computer. I always felt like I had so much to do and would sneak in a couple of Youtube videos to subconsciously avoid doing those tasks. The result would be a stress filled, unproductive day with not enough time spent with family and too many days without calling friends. After I lost internet, it felt pretty peaceful. I didn't feel the constant urge to check my Facebook, email and even this website. I could just sit back, study and spend some quality time with the family without worrying about lost productivity. Now that I have internet back, I have to make sure I manage my time well enough to avoid enslaving myself to my computer again.
   
   
   
3. Keep family ties strong
   After enduring the first week without electricity and heat, news of a nor'eastern storm began to emerge. It was going to arrive in a couple of days, bringing with it cold temperature and some snow. My family knew it was going to be a pain, so we moved into my aunt's house. Alhamdulillah, we were treated so well. It soon began feeling like home and my aunt's family never made it feel anything but that. After staying with them for a week, my family returned to our house, since the weather was getting better. Turns out that it was even worse than before. When my mom told this to my uncle, he set out to surprise us with a generator and three ten gallon containers of gas. He drove 10 hours to reach our house and hilariously, one hour before he arrived, our lights came back. Despite not having use for the generator, we were really touched by my uncle's generosity. So next time you have an argument with family, patch it up as soon as possible, mainly because it's the right thing to do, but also because you never know when you'll need them.
   
   
4. It could be worse
   While shivering in bed, trying to fall asleep I thought of all the people living in poverty who have to endure the every winter without heat, let alone electricity. I also thought of the city I moved from two years ago, Rockaway Beach, which was leveled by the storm. I lived in an apartment building right across the street from the beach. It was great living there, because there was so much to do with the boardwalk and parks so close by. After the storm, the boardwalk has been completely wiped out in many places and the city's infrastructure has been destroyed. I was hearing reports of looting going on in the stores that were only a block away from where I used to live. A friend described it as a war zone, because of all the army trucks coming in. It's going to take a while for that community to recover. It really humbled me and kept me from complaining about my situation.
   
   
5. Ask Allah for good in this life and the next
   Whenever we go through a hardship, even if it's from a thorn, Allah forgives some of our sins and gives us a higher place in Paradise. Some people look at this and start seeing worldly comforts as something bad and corrupting to faith. While it can occasionally be true, we shouldn't refrain from asking Allah for these comforts and seeking them ourselves. Being cold at home didn't make it easier for me to make wudu or spend more time in prayer. Having no lights didn't encourage me to read Quran at night. Having no internet didn't expedite my religious education. So when we pray to Allah, let's ask Him for more wealth so we can give more to charity, a big house with a comfortable place for long prayers and nice car to drive to the mosque.
   
   

Well, those are a few things I learned from my experience. Hope it benefits you as much as it did for me. In the comment's section, tell us about your experience with Hurricane Sandy, or a similar situation and the lessons you learned from it.