STORM JOCELYN: Crossgar woman calling on people to check-in on disabled neighbours
Power-cuts caused by storms put those with disabilities lives at risk.
Last updated 23rd Jan 2024
Storm Isha caused thousands of homes across the country to have power-outages. NIE Networks said 53,000 customers were affected since Sunday.
47,000 of those affected now have power back in their homes. However, with Storm Jocelyn arriving shortly, one woman from Crossgar is urging people to check on their disabled neighbours.
Michaela Hollywood is living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type two, meaning she is a full-time wheelchair user. “I often describe myself as someone who is the brains of the operation but needs someone else to do the physical side of that. It also means I'm quite medically fragile. I do use a ventilator.”
A lot goes on behind the scenes to allow Michaela to maintain clear airways and live healthily. She was without power for almost 14 hours on Sunday.
Michael said emergency planning starts when a storm is named: “I became aware that there was potentially a storm coming on Friday, and then of course by Saturday we had a named storm. For me that's when the disaster planning starts kicking and making sure that everything is in place. I'm lucky that I have an automatic switchover generator.”
She went on to say: “There are elements of plan B, but there's also elements of plan C and D to make sure that I'm as safe as possible. It does put my life at risk.”
Michaela said she is grateful to be in a more privileged position. However, there are so many other disabled people who are not as privileged. “I mean it's really terrifying. Way back over 10 years ago I had to really fight tooth and nail to get that generator. I think for me, ultimately, it's a relief to have that generator, but it's not fool proof. I think, you know, that people don't understand if you fear for your life, you really do go into fight or flight mode. It is the equivalent of taking someone's knife or fork away or the oxygen out of the room. It's not just an inconvenience. It is a threat to my life.”
She went onto say: “It is heart racing, disabled people lose their lives in storms like these because we're not prepared, nor are we helped to be prepared. And that's the really frustrating part. It is a really serious issue and it's an issue that's gone under the radar for too long.”
Michaela was on the priority register to get a generator for years, so she says being on the register is not enough and more needs to be done to keep disabled people safe. She expressed how important it is to see more planning for evacuation plans for disabled people when there is floods and power cuts.
Although Storm Jocelyn is not expected to be as strong as Storm Isha, there has been a very short period between the two storms. Michaela and her family have been putting things in place to be fully prepared for the night ahead… “We’re currently in the quiet before the storm.”
Storms are not just an inconvenience for disabled people, they are a threat to life. Michaela is calling for people to work together to make sure people who need generators, get generators.
“Check in on your disabled neighbours. Unfortunately, at the moment many of them are in a very vulnerable position. They may be stuck in bed or stuck in their wheelchair. They may not be able to access lifesaving equipment. If you have a way of making sure they're safe whilst maintaining your own safety, then it's important that you do that. I think community spirit is really what carries you through in times. Please do reach out to your disabled friends in because they need that now more than ever.”
The yellow alert in in place from 4pm today until 1pm tomorrow.
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