Power Outages on the Fourth of July

First off I would like to say Happy Independence day (Fourth of July) all! But not back to the issue at hand…on my glorious day off I was a little late reading my morning news. I ran across a story that was talking about disgruntled customers that had lost their electricity during the storms and heat wave last week and I had to chime in…

Storms have always been a devastating event to me and historically. Last year we had a storm here in Chattanooga and it knocked my power out for a week and a half. The year before that we had a killer snow storm and my power was out for nearly two weeks. No my next statement may make you feel some type of way but I will explain my reasoning….STOP BLAMING THE ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY WORKERS!

I do feel sorry for the people that have to go days without power but like me you should just suck it up. I am an electrician and I know what it is like to repair power lines and install power pole. It is a very meticulous process that is extremely dangerous. I think that many people do not realize this when they go on their rants about the workers and should focus more on the power companies themselves. During our power outages I had to work 20 hour days to help our local power company (EPB) to restore power to all of these neighborhoods mean while I didn’t have any power at my house.

All I am trying to do is give and insight to the inside. I know how hard the workers work to restore power and it is not just as easy as flipping a switch to turn the power on. These men and women risk their lives to restore the power that you hold so dear to your heart but you rarely hear about those men and women being recognized. I understand that the paycheck at the end of the week is their prize but I received a lot of backlash during this time because I was working for EPB to restore power.

I think that people that are without power should do what I did…take this time to enjoy the simple things in life…your family and friends. Sit down and read that book you have been wanting to read. Take a trip to go see that friend or family member that you have been wanting to see. The more time you spend doing things will equal to less time worrying and wasting this precious time we have on earth.

Have a fun a safe holiday folks.

-TJ