"Mona, you must get out now! The water's rising fast, and your house will flood this time. I'm sending Matt down to take you to Sue's."

Kirby, my neighbor, was adamant when he called me. I'd been steadfast in my decision to stay put in my home, despite the firefighters' strong recommendations to leave. I'd been raised in this home and it had withstood previous floods. I'm 81 years old, staunchly independent, on chemo, and staying put!

As Matt and I struggled across what had been a street and was now a torrent of waist-high water, I realized this flood was different. Here I was, headed to my neighbor's, holding a plastic bag of necessities over my head.

Five days later, finally able to return to my flood-damaged home, I realized how powerless I'd have been if I'd stayed with my decision to stay put and be "independent". The only way out would have been helicopter rescue, putting many at risk. I'd have been dropped at a shelter. Instead, I found power in changing my decision. At Sue's, interdependence became my power, not isolation.

Sue used her Blackberry to keep my children, friends and loved ones informed about my welfare, even when power and phones went out. She and volunteers orchestrated a clean-up party before the water had receded. She and I found strength in one another through our budding friendship and the tears we shared. I was reminded that real power resides in interdependence, adaptability, having courage, and good decision making.