So Spoiled We Are Out of Touch

Last month a huge storm spread across the MidWest and Eastern US leaving death, destruction and no power in it’s wake. The catastrophe was so widespread that the electric companies in charge of maintaining the lines, even at full capacity and with volunteers from other unaffected states, had a very difficult time repairing all the damage to get everyone back online. In our little community we are serviced by AEP and were fortunate enough to be back online in three days. In surrounding areas some people were out of power for 10 to 14 days.

Being without power is an inconvenience in this modern world. We’ve come to depend on it for everything. Because of this, being without electricity for extended periods of time can actually be life threatening. Temperatures this summer and during the time of the blackout were in the upper 90s and lower 100s so without even power for a box fan the threat of heat exhaustion or heat stroke was very real for the elderly and the very young. Going hungry was also a real possibility for many lower income families who rely heavily on the food that was in their refrigerator that was now going bad.

Getting to watch the news fairly early on during this ordeal gave me reason for pause and also hope that there is still a shred of humanity left hidden among the masses. On CNN they reported on a woman and her friend who thought about the elderly and disabled who lived in an apartment complex nearby. She knew that many of them were dependent on the elevator to get in and out of the building and without power they would not be able to cook. She took her grill to the complex and checked on each of the residents making sure they all had something to eat and a way to cook it before it all went