An update from Jennifer

I've been trying to reach Jennifer for a few days, but haven't been able to. I finally found this email tonight, and she asked to post it. Here it is:


What a mess. Still no power here in Louisville. Nearly 300,000 customers lost electric due to Sunday’s wind storm and power has been restored to only 130,000 of those as of right now, 72 hours after the fact and counting. Not to minimize LG&E’s work…crews are going strong. However, there are still downed LIVE power lines throughout the city, especially in the residential neighborhoods on the outskirts of Downtown (west end, south end, etc.). Kids are out of school and out of their usual mind numbing electronics. Parents have been warned to closely supervise those children seeking some sort of stimulation in the outdoors. With the live lines still on the ground, it makes for some scary possibilities (yes, our public school system is STILL closed due to the storm).

Only a small handful of gas stations have power so, filling up the tank takes an average of at least an hour with lots of traffic issues. My gas light came on Monday night and I had to drive quite a bit to find an open station. I was convinced I was going to run out of gas looking for gas…scary!

Only a few grocery stores throughout the city are open (not that anyone can cook or refrigerate food) and open restaurants are few and far between as well. Long lines EVERYWHERE.

Though these situations can bring out the worst in some of us, it also reminds us of the best in the rest of us. For instance, when waiting in line for gas, I noticed that two young female employees took it upon themselves to direct traffic in and out of the lot. Every patron gratefully accepted their leadership. I saw an elderly lady standing near a car and wondered if there had been a collision. Turns out that an employee was busy backing the lady’s car out of a tricky spot.

Here at my Y, we’ve pretty much implemented an open door policy so people from the community can come in and shower. Laundry services are also being extended to staff.

When picking up Jaren at his Y last night, I was handed a flyer that advertised free dinner for childcare families AND lodging in the gym, showers, etc. if needed. Sure enough, I peeked into the gym to find rows of Red Cross cots. It’s very relieving to know that meals for Jaren during these times will not be as challenging as they potentially could be.

As we count our blessings, we’re reminded that no deaths have resulted from the storm. The weather has been absolutely mild and beautiful since Sunday.

LG&E estimates that it will most probably take two more weeks to restore power to all. Let’s hope the good will and patience outlasts the outage. I’ll keep you posted.

B.