Power outage
A house lit only by candles is an odd place. They are surprisingly bright when you have a couple of tealights, two tapers, and two scented candles. We are one of half a million homes without power as of Wednesday 19th July when a monster storm hit St Louis. Our power went out around 7:30pm.
My Photon II microlight was a lifesaver, especially for visiting the neighbours, checking on the power lines going to my house, and walking a couple of blocks to find a downed tree had ripped out the main power lines and blocked the road. There is no visible damage to my house or fence, and only some minor branches down from the trees.
After the storm passed people were sitting out on their porches chatting with the neighbours, trying to make cell phone calls and failing most of the time. The network was patchy until around 9:30 or later. I've never seen so many people outside. It was too dark to read or knit, no power for the internet or TV, and the sinking feeling of remembering that Thursday was due to be one of the hottest of the year so far.
As of 4pm Friday, 51% of my zip code is still without power. I am not one of the lucky 49%. There's nothing I can do but check the power company's outage map and pray they get to my area soon. On Thursday lunchtime, only 43% were without power in my zip code. A second storm on Friday did more damage and caused more power outages.
The house is hot and humid, 30C/86F on the inside on Friday morning, with the basement slightly cooler. Everything in the fridge and freezer is spoiled. The power company said it could be a week before power is restored. There are no hotel rooms empty in the city. I'm hot and I'm frustrated. Both cats have extra water down. The Governor has declared an official State of Emergency, the National Guard have been called in to help clear debris and get people out of hot houses to cooling centres, but where do they go to sleep?
I'm posting this from a St Louis Bread Company on Friday afternoon, I'll post again when the power comes back up at home. Please pray it's back on very soon, and until then, that it's cool outside and in for everyone without power. I probably won't be answering email till the power is restored.