By KAREN MADORIN
Anyone using cell phones gets reminded of events you’d rather forget. Recently, the US Weather Service shared a post regarding a severe ice storm that shut down our region 18 years ago. That triggered memories of cold, dark days and nights, dogs and us mummified in blankets, and how much I appreciated lineman by the time power kicked back on.
The historical report explained this storm that snapped thousands of poles and downed electric lines arrived on December 10, 2007. Though some argued the one in 2005 was much worse, I won’t join that disagreement. However, if anyone wants to praise linemen, I’ll gratefully stand in line.
I do recollect knowing that frigid storm headed our way and feeling glad I’d fully stocked cupboards and fridge. At the time, we lived several miles in the country on caliche and dirt roads. Once the storm began, I was glad we prepared. In short time, weighted branches snapped and shattered while lights flickered. Walking outside to feed critters was more than a notion and required careful steps in heavy-duty shoe treads.
Our three dogs who normally loved roaming our acres contentedly remained inside except for essential potty breaks. For the next few days their job changed from running coyotes off the property to sharing body heat with us.
Being optimists, we expected a short-lived event, but insistent warnings encouraged us to prep for multiple powerless days. I thought of Little House on the Prairie life as I dug candles, lanterns, flashlights, and matches out of cupboards and filled our bathtub so we’d have water to flush the toilet should power go out. Yep, folks on well water without generators have concerns townies don’t. I laid extra blankets at end of the bed, expecting we’d need them.
Unfortunately, the weatherman wasn’t wrong. This front deposited heavy ice across a broad region shutting down power, roads, services, and normal life. I can’t imagine how electric company dispatchers felt as callers without power flooded phone lines. Families were forced to warm and feed themselves without setting the house on fire or carbon-monoxiding themselves. While we had candles, lanterns, and flashlights, some didn’t.
As hours passed and temps dropped, I added clothing layers. Still chilly, I’d urge two big dogs and a terrier to crawl under my lap quilt to generate more heat. We started the storm with the thermostat at a comfortable 68. By the third day without electricity, it dropped into the 40s with a continuing downward spiral. The whole time, I wondered how linesmen working outside held up under frigid conditions. So many depended on them, including their own loved ones.
Day 4 meant diminishing flushing water with a thermostat edging the thirties. Thoughts of freezing pipes alarmed shivering brain cells. Though worrying doesn’t raise temps, 3 dogs warmed me when the light over sink flickered and brightened the room. I shouted for joy hearing the furnace kick on.
While our immediate issues were resolved, power company employees faced months of hard labor in extreme conditions. Since that experience, I’m profoundly grateful for those working in extreme conditions so we have power. They are heroes!