I got my power restored Sunday afternoon. My oldest brother, who lives in Highland, got his power restored yesterday afternoon. We both spoke today about a shared phenomenon: we are constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.
We have heard about several areas that had power restored only to lose it again and we are understandably concerned that can happen to us. Waiting for the other shoe to drop is very uncomfortable and stressful yet there’s nothing one can do about it. It’s a part of going through what we have and are going through right now with the aftermath of last week’s derecho and reports of restoration timelines (which seem to be getting extended).
This morning, we saw the new graphic put out by NIPSCO. Initially, the thought that 90% of their customers would have power restored by today and 100% by Friday. Now, as they are seeing more extensive damage and realize that vegetation clearing is going to take longer than expected, they have modified their projection. It’s a bit worrisome to both my brother, who lives in Highland, and myself. I live in Munster. Both Highland and Munster are not projected to be 100% restored until a week from today, August 25th. And that can change as well.
So we, my brother and I, as well as many, many other residents in our Northwest Indiana communities are very nervous. They say that we have a thunderstorm predicted for this evening. That makes me anxious not because it is predicted to be a dangerous storm but because it will hinder the restoration process for many who do not yet have power.
When I was looking forward to retiring, I was looking forward to less stress in my life. I have had so much more than bargained for these past several days.
Please be better days ahead.