I couldn't believe what I heard on NBC news tonight. The people of Ridgefield, CT are upset because their electricity isn't back on yet since the hurricane. The electric company linemen are receiving police protection from the angry citizens. You can see the story here:
NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams - Crews Still Working To Restore Power In The Northeast
I just hope the story is incorrect or there's some reasonable explanation.
It hasn't even been a week! After Ike in 2008 we were without electricity for a week and other residents of our community even longer. Our next door neighbors had their electric meter torn off the house by a tree that went down. They had to get an electrician to repair the meter and then wait for the electric company to come back, so they went another week or more without electricity.
What really upset me was seeing trucks from Pike Electric Company of Mt. Airy, NC in the background of the news report. This is the company that came here after Ike and worked for weeks in the heat and humidity restoring electricity. We welcomed them with open arms and they didn't need police protection. After all they left their homes and families to come and help us and we were grateful.
I noticed it was 75 degrees in Ridgefield this afternoon. I'm assuming it goes below 70 at night. They need to try sleeping in 90+ degree weather with high humidity and no A/C.
Someone needs to explain to the citizens of Ridgefield that this is what's called a natural disaster. Perhaps someone from New Orleans can explain to them what it's like to lose not only your electricity, but everything else along with it.
Please excuse my rant. The fine people from Pike Electric deserve better. I will always be grateful to them.
That is absolutely horrible! I just can't imagine! I don't know why people think things happen with a snap. We live in an instant potato mentality and people can't wait for nothing. That is why we are in a lot of the mess with the economy that we are in right now. People buying homes they knew they couldn't afford and so forth....
ReplyDeleteI remember back in the Winter a few years ago when there was a big ice storm there were people in West Virginia without electric for 8 weeks! That's 2 months in the dead cold Winter without electric! And I believe people in Ohio had the same problem the next year.
Good going, Betty. That is a terrible way for them to behave and you are right, they don't know what heat and humidity are. I only wish I could experience those temperatures again that they have and be comfortable at last.
ReplyDeleteBetty, From the Pike Electric corporate office, we'd like to say thanks for the positive encouragement. You are a big part of why we do what we do. We'll continue working to turn the lights on for the good folks of Connecticut. Take care!
ReplyDeleteWe lost almost everything in a Northeaster in Cape May, NJ in 1975-76 and we were so grateful for the help we were given especially the Red Cross. I'm afraid a lot of people have really lost all sense of reason during a stressful time like this.
ReplyDeleteI hear you - they need to get some patience I am sure that they are trying their darnedest to get it back on - although on the other hand it has to be hard to be without electricity! Love, sandie
ReplyDeleteThis story was an absolute lie. The reason police are with the line crews is to direct traffic not to protect them from angry citizens. We didn't even see a CLP truck until Wednesday. The only four trucks here were from Ohio.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of the most loving and friendly places to live. A place where neighbor helps neighbor. I can recount scores of good things everybody did to help each other. Where this Reporter even found some woman living on her deck is a mystery. The average house goes for about $800,000 and I can assure you no one was living on their deck. All crews were treated with the utmost respect and we were happy to see them certainly not the opposite.
I have lived here for over 40 years and this is where my children chose to live.
This misrepresentation of our town was untrue, contrived and completly inaccurate.
Mike Crist