Autism and Hurricane Irene

We aren't the only people out there worrying what will happen if Hurricane Irene impacts a family member with autism.

I remember accounts of the aftermath of Katrina, and the inability of families with a family member (I won't say "child" because there are adults, too) to get timely help.

There is at least one resource online but again (and I hope I am wrong) this concentrates on families with autistic children.  As in non-adult children.

Well, I have a family member in his 50's.  He is terrified of severe weather.  We are hoping that a family member living much closer to his mother than we do will be able to stay with my mother in law and Bil, who live together in a suburb of New York City.  The family member will make sure they have adequate supplies of food and water, that cell phones are charged, that they will not be alone.  Otherwise, we would have had to go down and get them.

That in itself would have been stressful for Bil, because his routine would be disrupted, and because he seems to exist in a constant world of low level anxiety.

And one way or the other, Bil is going to undergo major stress and anxiety due to Irene.  As I blogged before, Bil follows the Weather Channel religiously so he already knows Irene is on the way.

He isn't the only one.  In doing an Internet search I came across a blog written by someone with autism, talking about the coming of Hurricane Irene.

This is going to be an anxious time for all of us - the relatives near NYC and we, out of the direct path, but holding our breath to see what will happen.