Observations After Irene

Irene from space (from spaceref.com)

CL&P power was restored last night to my rural corner of Colchester.   Six days without electricity really can put some things in perspective...  

• "Old school" media like my business of radio stepped up and filled the information gap left when people couldn't get internet, cable, over-the-air TV and sometimes even cell service.   I must have been nuts driving through the height of Irene Sunday morning to get to Mohegan Sun and monitor storm coverage on 102.3 The Wolf.   Once there, Mohegan Sun was powered up and open for business to the few who could get there.  The Citadel Broadcasting simulcast with WMOS (The Wolf), WQGN (Q105) and WXLM (News Talk 980) absolutely excelled.  Local radio as a whole reminded us that this is where radio really shines.   It is one reason I got into this crazy business in the first place.

Some other revelations seemed obvious:

• Emergency managers really needed to prioritize getting major state highways unblocked.   Route 12 in Gales Ferry, Route 82 in Oakdale and Route 164 in Preston remained blocked by trees, poles or wires for days.  
• CL&P really didn't need to bring up the subject of rate hikes while so many people were still in the dark.   Connecticut's power infrastructure didn't fare well against a tropical storm.  How many customers would have been affected by an actual hurricane?     
• Since I was still lucky enough to have had running water, I had a chance to hone my skill at taking a cold shower. Step under and away quickly, lather up and then rinse off with extreme speed.
• People in my neighborhood really rose to the occasion in cleaning up the considerable mess and checking on each other.
• While restoration of TV and internet is especially welcome in the evening, I now find myself thinking twice about having the TV blaring noisily in the background when I'm not really watching it.  
• I think I'll take a break from Pop Tarts, peanut butter and fast food for a little while now that power is back and I'm doing my happy dance!