Thursday, September 18, 2008

Power to the People

That's Ohio governor Ted Strickland. He has a flashlight strapped to his head, which is not a look that is going to win acclaim in the fashion boudoirs of NYC, but a guy's gotta see. And since the power is off in the governor's mansion for the fifth day in a row, Ted has taken to imitating a coal miner.

Five days ago the remnants of Hurricane Ike swept through Columbus, bringing 75 MPH winds that knocked out the power, pretty much everywhere. Ours came back in about twelve hours, but many sections of central Ohio are still without power, and may be without power until Sunday or Monday, more than a week after the storm. A day without power is an inconvenience and a nuisance. A week without power is called a State of Emergency, and affects nearly all of life. Businesses can't operate. Traffic lights don't work, making travel hazardous. Grocery stores can't refrigerate food. And so on. It's a mess.

If you see a line worker up on a power pole, give him a round of applause. And tell him to hurry up.

3 comments:

David Kennedy said...

I hear ya, brother. What little news we were able to catch on Sunday in Houston mentioned how hard Ike had hit Ohio. My area in Houston is still predicting five days plus, but I should note that power has been restored in pockets all over the city. It sounds like you guys are almost totally blacked out.

jasdye said...

And tell him to hurry up.

hmm... a couple weeks ago, stephen colbert noted that when the economy is bad for the rest of us, it's great for the repo man. do you think that the same could be true for electrical outages and electricians?

Pilgrim said...

But not too fast. Linemen have a dangerous job. A number get electrocuted every year. A lot of these are contractors from out of town, and in unfamiliar territory, making their task more perilous.