It Began as a Trickle

It was just a trickle. Then the rainstorm began its deluge. I knew the next step. Darkness would descend upon us, momentarily, then the familiar power outage would follow. It would be one of the worst in our area - Ontario, Canada. 

Regardless of what type and duration, outages are moments of terror, cutting us off from civilization and being left in the dark. We are left wondering, hoping mother nature and urbanization will co-operate and allow us to live again the way we did moments ago. 

The howling had begun in the evening, with lights flickering and the ball game we'd been watching, a suddenly distant memory. Hopefully power would be restored within a few hours. I loved baseball. We waited as the rainfall, looking more like a sudden raging snowfall in winter, began its trek outside. It was the worst summer rainstorm I'd experienced, ever. It was frightful, actually.Those raindrops meant business. 

This past winter had been a mild transition with only 2 storms identified as a blizzard. Really? Over a few hours or a few minutes, I could not recall this blast of winter. It was laughable. It would be the warmest and driest on record, I think. But tonight's summer storm was different. 

An amber alert had been issued: a tornado was likely, hovering in this area of the province. Could we have felt its malevolence close by? Suddenly the status of our summer circumstances was becoming dire. 

A power line on our driveway was waiting for us, brought down when a tree, an old and inconsequential one, fell on it. Stay inside we were told from those who worked for the Public Works Department in our local community. Until the live wire could be repaired we could do nothing but wait inside. Without power, there was no water. So we waited. After 41 hours, power was restored and the community began its cleanup. 

An event such as this was tame when compared to other dreadful natural disasters, such as hurricanes and tornadoes, are added to the mix in other countries. The cost to the communities affected there is incalculable. When water and the power needed to 'produce' returned, the shower that followed was simply the best ever. Simply the best!