This cartoon in my opinion is in very poor taste. Lets be somewhat realistic, the storm passed by late Sunday and created a very sporadic and complicated situation for the power company to plan out repairs in a systematic and efficient manor. The time spent on the road by out of state crews is mind boggling and the time spent out nights doing repairs of damaged high voltage lines along with coordinated efforts of town and private crews clearing trees is tedious. The moral of this story is just because we pay absorbanent utility rates does not make us entitled to have instant on switches immediately after a natural disaster. Maybe being prepared as an individual as well as lending a helping hand as opposed to complaining and sitting home feeling entitled may just help change how things happen in the future....... just an thought and my opinion.
I spoke with a utility crew working on Main Street in Portland on Wednesday, Aug. 30. They were from Michigan and Oklahoma. They told me that the heavy copper cable that carried electricity in the area had been stolen after the storm, necessitating new cable to be brought in and installed. Citizen behavior, in this case, slowed the process of power restoration. While I am no lover of CL&P, when I see the kind of destruction the storm caused, I'm not surprised by the time this is taking.
Will the future bring us 30-50 feet of tree clearance along power lines? Personally that would make me sad, but I fear this will be the public's angry response to this disaster. Should we think about putting the lines underground, where they're less likely to be affected by severe summer and winter weather (and presumably not stolen as easily)?
I did not interpret this cartoon to have any negative meaning. It seems to me that it is trying to depict the happy feeling of spotting the crew working in your neighborhood like a birdwatcher would be to see a rare bird. Not at all in the sense of a jab at the crew, just recognizing that you will have to wait to see them and very happy when you finally do. That is how I felt when I saw the crew near my house and then when I saw this cartoon it seemed to express that perfectly. The main character is the happy watcher, not the crew. I don't read into this any statement about the workers or the pace at which they are working or that they themselves are doing something to make themselves a rare sight.
Anthony, I agree, I think the crew's out there did the best job they could in the chaotic and overwhelming multi-state situation as you state. I realize that street that were blocked were done first, and so forth as is the correct thing to do. We all just needed to have patience.
I am also glad that the Middletown's Public Works crews followed the CL&P crew's to pick up brush so that the work could be done as fast as possible. Many towns did not think to do this.
What can we learn as a Community for the future? Perhaps a better way to assess the situation to see who is in need first- take care of the elderly and those with medical conditions who need electricity. I can only imagine their frustration. We could consider generators that can be hooked in at certain points for emergency situations, which power companies have. From an urban planning view- solar street lights with fuel cells that also act as batteries would be a wise investment.
The cartoon is meant to be open to interpretation & generate discussion & hopefully get comments like yours.
I am grateful for your comment as you made many good points I also agree with.
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great cartoon! I know crews are trying but this is taking way too long especially for such high prices we pay for electricity
ReplyDeleteThis cartoon in my opinion is in very poor taste. Lets be somewhat realistic, the storm passed by late Sunday and created a very sporadic and complicated situation for the power company to plan out repairs in a systematic and efficient manor. The time spent on the road by out of state crews is mind boggling and the time spent out nights doing repairs of damaged high voltage lines along with coordinated efforts of town and private crews clearing trees is tedious. The moral of this story is just because we pay absorbanent utility rates does not make us entitled to have instant on switches immediately after a natural disaster. Maybe being prepared as an individual as well as lending a helping hand as opposed to complaining and sitting home feeling entitled may just help change how things happen in the future....... just an thought and my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI spoke with a utility crew working on Main Street in Portland on Wednesday, Aug. 30. They were from Michigan and Oklahoma. They told me that the heavy copper cable that carried electricity in the area had been stolen after the storm, necessitating new cable to be brought in and installed. Citizen behavior, in this case, slowed the process of power restoration.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am no lover of CL&P, when I see the kind of destruction the storm caused, I'm not surprised by the time this is taking.
Will the future bring us 30-50 feet of tree clearance along power lines? Personally that would make me sad, but I fear this will be the public's angry response to this disaster.
ReplyDeleteShould we think about putting the lines underground, where they're less likely to be affected by severe summer and winter weather (and presumably not stolen as easily)?
I did not interpret this cartoon to have any negative meaning. It seems to me that it is trying to depict the happy feeling of spotting the crew working in your neighborhood like a birdwatcher would be to see a rare bird. Not at all in the sense of a jab at the crew, just recognizing that you will have to wait to see them and very happy when you finally do. That is how I felt when I saw the crew near my house and then when I saw this cartoon it seemed to express that perfectly. The main character is the happy watcher, not the crew. I don't read into this any statement about the workers or the pace at which they are working or that they themselves are doing something to make themselves a rare sight.
ReplyDeleteLancia, you must be a local Democrat. The cartoon is neutral.
ReplyDeleteAnthony,
ReplyDeleteI agree, I think the crew's out there did the best job they could in the chaotic and overwhelming multi-state situation as you state. I realize that street that were blocked were done first, and so forth as is the correct thing to do. We all just needed to have patience.
I am also glad that the Middletown's Public Works crews followed the CL&P crew's to pick up brush so that the work could be done as fast as possible. Many towns did not think to do this.
What can we learn as a Community for the future? Perhaps a better way to assess the situation to see who is in need first- take care of the elderly and those with medical conditions who need electricity. I can only imagine their frustration. We could consider generators that can be hooked in at certain points for emergency situations, which power companies have.
From an urban planning view- solar street lights with fuel cells that also act as batteries would be a wise investment.
The cartoon is meant to be open to interpretation & generate discussion & hopefully get comments like yours.
I am grateful for your comment as you made many good points I also agree with.