3/27/19
Chatterbox
Betty
Kaiser
The
snow may have melted, and the power restored to everyone but everywhere I go, people
are telling their 2019 snow storm stories. Mother Nature really outdid herself last
month and when she goes wild, the results are good, bad and ugly.
Let’s
start with the good. It snowed! In the beginning, snow is beautiful. We ooh and
ahh as the miracle white stuff coats everything. Snow is beneficial. and Planet
Earth needs it to regulate the temperature of its surface. When it melts, the
water helps fill our rivers and reservoirs. A couple of years ago it didn’t snow,
and we lost dozens of trees on our property. Snow is good.
The bad?
It snowed! And it kept snowing. Few of us were prepared for a heavy, wet snow
to blanket everything. In taking down our power lines, it shut off our heaters
and heated up our refrigeration. The snow plows opened up our main roads but
closed off driveway entrances to and from our properties with three-foot-tall berms.
We were totally isolated on our property.
Sun.
Feb. 25, we were snowbound by late afternoon. No electricity in an
all-electric house means no heat, water, refrigeration, flushing toilets, cooking
facilities, lights, internet, cell or land phones. Monday, we woke up to
crashing trees, 15” of wet snow on rooftops and ground. We turned on the
generator intermittently to use the water, stovetop or microwave but we were
very low on fuel and using it sparingly. Then the Jeep got stuck in the snow
trying to get out of the garage.
The
next 10 days I put in the ugly category. Thank goodness for a wood stove, a
generator and angels of mercy.
Monday morning, we put on our boots and trudged out to the gate in
about ¼ mile of deep snow. It doesn’t sound like much until you walk it several
times in freezing weather. The gate was frozen shut. We needed gas for the generator,
but no cars were traveling our roads, and neither were pedestrians. Our ATT
cell phones neither received nor sent. It’s scary to be out of contact with
everyone.
Chuck is still recovering from two heart surgeries and we needed
help. But where would it come from? Miraculously, prayers were answered and
miracles happened. Tuesday, our next-door neighbor, Aaron, jumped the fence and
forged a path across the acres of deep snow. (He had power lines down across
his driveway.) He daily stacked our firewood, shoveled snow, and was our
contact with the outside world. His wife, Tanya (home with a toddler and baby)
was able to contact our worried out-of-state family. Amazing!
Originally, we only had enough gas to minimally work our generator
for one day. It consumes about 5 gallons a day. Every day someone supplied the
basics we needed. Many thanks to Steve who lives nearby, neighbors Clint and
Donna, friends Sella and Morrie in C.G. for bringing us gas, groceries and
more. All were answers to prayer.
Still, we couldn’t leave
the property. And then the Marines landed! Clint and his monster truck knocked
down an opening to the road and flattened our icy driveway. We were finally
able to leave our property on Friday, March 1, but didn’t have power until 6
p.m. Wed. Mar. 6.
You can be sure that the busy EPUD and Tillamook Electric crews
were a welcome sight as they strung wire and installed new poles for three days.
I don’t know who was happiest to have heat again—us or our dogs Sweetie and
Sammy. Thank you!
Now, a
word about on-going electrical problems. This was not our first rodeo. At C.G.
Lake, Dorena and other outlying areas, we have frequent power interruptions. We
understand that we live in heavily wooded, rural areas. Transformers blow up
and trees come down on the lines. But in 30 years, as the population has grown,
we have seen little progress or changes to stop our long-term electric outages.
We have
new meters to calculate usage and dedicated workers when something happens. But
we also need communication and preventative action. Oregon’s electric companies
tell us that underground lines are too expensive. Isn’t it expensive to keep
replacing lines and equipment and pay over-time?
And what
about the homeowners? It’s more expensive to NOT have electricity than it is to
have it. Most households in our area do not have generators. They huddle in
front of fireplaces and cook on camp stoves. Others spend hundreds of dollars
on gas for small generators. Some stay in hotels at reduced rates worrying
about pets and property. The system needs to be upgraded to the 21st
century.
One final good thought. In spite of the inconvenience and
frustration, we have much to be grateful for. One only has to read the news
about droughts, famines, floods, wars and destruction in other areas of our
country and world to know that we get off pretty easy here. So, I’m sure you will
join me in counting our blessings and praying that another snowpocalypse doesn’t
visit us again any time soon!
Contact Betty Kaiser’s
Chatterbox by
email bchatty@bettykaiser.com
