Reflections on the Teche

I was having lunch when I heard the loud Boom! I looked out the kitchen window beyond the peaceful bird feeder and whirlygig to see a huge truck, 18 wheeler, with the power pole and power lines wrapped around the incredible load. What happened?

When I first went outside, I saw smoke rising, so I called 911.

“What is your emergency?”

I explained as best I could that in the curve of the road, an 18 wheeler had taken down a power pole and there was smoke.

The neighbors gathered as we kept a safe distance. It wasn’t long before the first responders came.

But the true heroes of the day were the electric company workers. At one time I counted 7 Cleco trucks.

Brandon (we became pals through the ordeal) came to me and said, “It’s gonna to be a while.”

I imagined days, but he assured me they would finish before dark.

I said, “What was the truck doing here?”

Apparently, DOTD had given him the route to take and he’d already run into trees along the way. But this accident had knocked out power for a whole neighborhood!

A little before 6 PM, I was going to my car to go to choir practice, and Brandon walked up again.

“Everyone has power but your house. You have 3 way so you need to call an electrician.”

I texted my husband and called the company he suggested. After going through a long automated system, the AI person said it would be 3 days.

Brandon said, “Don’t worry about it. I know a guy.”

Soon, Fox was here, checking out our system. All the guys gathered around. I couldn’t help but think “How many Cleco workers does it take to power a house?”

By 7 PM we had power restored. Those guys are my new heroes.

Whew! What a day!