Friday, December 14, 2007

How about some Snow to go with that Ice?

The snow started in Hutchinson, Kansas about 3 this afternoon. Huge, fluffy white flakes. We still have significant ice in places, so the worry is that this will cause more power outtages. I snapped this photo about 4:30 out my office window on Main Street. It has continued snowing. They expect 8 inches. We have angered the weather gods.


Sunshine!

We had sun today... it felt like a heat wave with temperatures near 40 degrees. Lots and lots of ice melted away. And things were very pretty while the sun was shining.





Of course, some trees are pretty much gone...



At various stoplights around town you'll see city trucks parked. If you look more closely you'll see generators running stop lights. It's the latest thing. What? Your town is doing it the old fashioned way?



While today was warmer and sunshiney, tomorrow the forecast is for snow. Hutchinson is expected to be in the worst part of the storm, getting 6-8 inches. That isn't exactly what I would have asked for if anyone had inquired what I'd like. I generally love snow, and if I could be tucked into my warm house with the Christmas lights on enjoying it, it would be OK. But, the idea of trudging back and forth in it and never having a place to really get warm is less appealing. But whatever will be, will be. We'll see what the morrow brings!


Lies Recordings Tell

When you call to try and get someone interested in the fact that you have no power in your home in the middle of December, when there's ice on everything and snow in the forecast, you get a recording that says crews are working "around the clock." That's comforting, until you realize it's untrue.

How do I know this? Because by happenstance last night I drove by the Convention Center and found 48 trucks from various entities, mostly our own power supplier, parked there.



Now, of course, everyone has to eat and sleep and do all the things humans do. But "around the clock" implies that one crew works a shift, then another crew works a shift, then another crew works a shift. This, obviously, is not happening when at midnight 48 vehicles with power company logos on them are parked at the nicest hotel in town. If there is equipment available, work could be happening. Thousands of people are employed by power companies - the recording says they're bringing in crews from other places - so they could just bring in more people because we have equipment sitting here idle.

I didn't walk in last night to see if anyone was having a beer at the sports bar. I didn't have time after driving through the parking lot to count trucks. I was on my way to my house to blunder around with a flashlight to get my plants to bring them with me to the office where I slept on an air mattress, i.e. not in the nicest hotel in town.