The swath of destruction left behind by Hurricane Helene has left many across the state in total stress.
For us of the older generation and those whose parents are still living, this predicam ent everyone is trying to cope with is something the younger generation has never experienced.
I was raised on a farm. When a thunderstorm was forecast we would start losing electricity. If the wind blew a tad over a subtle breeze the power would go out.
It seemed to be more frequent during the hot summer months.
Yes, it may have been a couple of hours and sometimes it stretched into the early morning hour before our branch of REMC was able to get power restored.
We didn’t have central air and heat. Our central air came via window fans or an attic fan. Nice warm air nights when your head hit the pillow followed by the pulling of cover before the morning sun.
Without power there was no TV. We only had three stations — two (CBS, NBC) from Jacksonville and PBS. If the night was clear we could get a snowy and static ABC.
Sweating after a nightly bath was the norm back then.
Mom would always cook supper on the gas stove or we’d have leftovers warmed up via the stove or oven. Most people today have electric stoves, microwaves or the latest technology that needs electricity. Not good.
Ma Bell was always there unless a line was broken by a falling tree or branch. Today, most can’t function without a cell phone nor internet when service is interrupted.
I’m good until it’s time to put the newspaper together. Yes, we are a local paper, but I have to have the internet to check emails. Our cell phones are used to get information and conduct interviews to get reports from law enforcement or whomever we’re doing a story about.
Some phone cell service was interrupted by Hurricane Helene.
While suffering like everyone else, Sandy fired up our grill using fallen twigs from the yard Saturday morning. She cooked a nice little breakfast of scrambled eggs in a cast iron skillet and warmed up slices of ham I cooked Thursday before the storm arrived.
She boiled her some water as well for coffee. I washed mine down with water.
Saturday night with the house feeling like a sauna, she went and slept on the couch on our screened in back porch being cooled by the gentle breeze.
After Friday and Saturday of our camping adventure, Sandy had enough. She purchased a generator.
I know a lot of people have them, but this is the longest either of us have endured without what we have become use to.
Anyway, I hope everyone is safe and your power is restored quickly.
• Rick Head is the Publisher and Editor of The Brantley Beacon and the Waycross Journal- Herald. He can be reached at beacon@btconline. net
