Sunday, December 14, 2008

Lights are off and noone at home

So ... where is the voice of the town right now?

We have no internet presence. Where are decisions being made, communication being performed, meetings being held? I have the feeling there isn't. The police didn't know about school until it was on TV. Who has power, who doesn't? Whats the plan? Who's in charge? What's the 911 coverage? Are emergency paths clear for fire and police?

{Crickets}

As I type this I am on the second day of (luckily) getting a generator going. I say lucky because there were a limited number at the Home Depot here in town, so we ended up getting one (after several hours in line) after hearing about some down near Jewett City CT. And today we got phone and internet. Just no power. Without the generator, I have no other means of heat. With it it's bearable so long as i don't run it all the time and burn it out .... I have the feeling a lot of other folks are in the same shape. Hopefully they can find a place or head to the high school.

This is emblematic of what we need to improve here - in a time of crisis, we need to show a united front, have regular meetings and get one story out to everyone. Other towns do it. And they post it on the web. It's important. It's basic. It's an essential part of modern infrastructure. We need to do it and emphasize using it more.

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