The Great Blackout of 2013.
That's how I'll always remember Christmas of this year, as the time of the Ice Storm and the Branches On The Power Lines. When everything died late on the night of the 21st, and over two hundred and fifty thousand people were left in cold dark houses. The neighborhood looked like a ghost town.
Things are getting back to normal, but I'm very grateful for everything I tend to take for granted. Wishing all the best to the people who worked round the clock to get the city operational again, and to all those still waiting for their houses to be warm and bright again.
And of course, it's a white Christmas. The city is frosted and hung with icicles, snowflakes sifting down from the clouds.
May your days be merry and bright,
And may you always have water, heat and light.
A wonderful festive season to you and yours!
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5 comments:
Glad you made it through and got your power back. In the part of Virginia where I live, we had abnormally warm rainy days. Now it's cold and clear. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you too, Becky! Glad the rain stopped too... rain at Christmas just feels off to me, unless it rains tinsel or candy maybe.
Take care--it's not all cleaned up yet!
I twisted my ankle going down an icy driveway on Tuesday. When I picked up my BIL in Toronto Christmas day, parts of the tree in front of his house were already down and had damaged not only the next-door neighbour's car but his shoulder, but there was still a branch up there that was just waiting for a bird to land on it and bring it down too!
Ruth - Sorry to hear about your ankle! I hope you're feeling better and that you and your family were able to enjoy Christmas despite everything.
Yes, the place was like a skating rink and I was doing my best to be careful.
But when I went out to take pics, I really wanted a friend to come with me so I could lie on the sidewalk while my friend lifted a branch, posed it on top of me and then took a photo. You know, like the branch had fallen on me.
My friend was actually game, too. Then I thought that if another branch fell at that moment, I'd never be able to roll out of the way in time, and if Branch # 2 brought any more live power lines with it, that would kill me dead.
Not worth it for a picture, which is why I'm not in any of the photos.
Yes, this will be a Christmas to be remembered; though the power came back on for me at 1pm on the 22nd and stayed on until I returned from a brief four days out of the city. The VIA train from Montreal was four hours late due to icy rails, frozen switches and signals; making my own departure to Brantford equally unpleasant. However, out there the roads were clear until my return on the 26th with a good dumping of snow.
I heard at Union Station on the 22nd how the City had declared a state of emergency. At which point I deliberated on whether to return home, and take another expensive cab ride back home as the subway had intermittent service in some areas.
Though I must say that with several hundred homes still without power even as I write this comment, makes me wonder what would have happened with the whole city out of power. Purely tragic.
Perhaps an investment in a power generator might be in order for the future. It could be kept in the garage or in a shed just outside the house.
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