When Will We Have Power Again?

When Mother Nature knocks out the power, she is pulling the plug on our everyday routines. There is no juice for the alarm clock that wakes us up. The coffee pot never percolates and the television that helps relay information about the weather forecast and morning commute, remains dark. Losing power can make us miserable and waiting for it to come on can be excruciating. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as flipping a switch.

"There is no magic bullet or easy way for it to come on," Norwalk Mayor Richard A. Moccia told Patch on Sunday. "We're doing the best we can do."

In this day and age of instant messages, information, and results, sometimes doing your best is not good enough. People want it, and they want it now. But when it comes to restoring power, that doesn't usually happen.

"We ask that people be patient," said Fred Poirot, spokesman for Connecticut Light & Power. "Roads have to be cleared of debris first so workers can get down the streets. Downed power lines have to be deactivated. Workers can't go up in their buckets to make repairs when there are winds of 35 mph or above. We have to think about safety first."

The mayor of Norwalk has said it could be several days before power is restored. Governor Malloy stated it could be up to a week before residents are energized again. The power companies warn that it could be even longer than that.

That is something customers who have been without power don't exactly want to hear. The questions multiply and the volume increases, "When will our power come back on?!". Unfortunately, no one can give you an exact answer. No one can give you a day and time when that radio, coffee pot, or television will go back on. Just as Mother Nature is unpredicatable, so is technology.

In a time when the economy is weak and unemployment is high, our patience and resolve are being tested once again, just as it was when many were left without power after last year's storm. But I vividly remember when power was restored, the celebrations that went on in  more than a few neighborhoods. That's what I remember, and that's what many can't wait to do again.

Be patient. Life will return to normal soon enough.