It became apparent very early the storm that rolled through the area like a ton of bricks early Friday evening was not going to be an ordinary one. Many people are still suffering from no power to their homes, little gasoline, often long drives to find it, and long lines once it is found.
In addition, the stifling heat has only added to the misery.
We would like to be able to say things will be better by the time this is published. However, the truth is no one can say with any degree of certainty when utilities will be back up. Some people had their power restored almost immediately. Other areas have been restored in spurts. And many people are still waiting-some facing the possibility of no power until Friday, or possibly later.
This is not only inconvenient, but dangerous. For people with no power and facing sustained days of 90 degree-plus heat with high humidity, it is an extremely and possibly life-and-death concern. This is especially true for elderly residents. Several cooling locations have been set up and we urge residents to take advantage of any of these in your areas, especially during the hottest part of the day. If there are none of these stations in your area, a trip to the mall or of one of the big box stores would be a way to cool off for a few hours.
It has been wonderful to see they the attitude displayed by the vast majority of people-both businesses and customers. For instance, no gasoline stations to our knowledge have taken advantage of the situation to spike prices and customers waiting in the long pump lines have in the majority of cases been respectful and patient.
There have been many unsung heroes during the past several days, Division of Highway workers were on the road almost immediately after Friday's storm clearing roads to help residents get out. The utility crews have been working almost non-stop trying their best to get the power back on. In addition, many people have unselfishly been looking our for neighbors and trying to help them cope with the situation both mentally and physically.
We hope, like everyone else, the power gets totally restored as soon as possible. As the power continues to come back on the current shortages should slowly end and things should begin to return to normal. However, until that happens, we hope residents will continue to show the patience and respect for others they have shown up to this point.
