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No, I'm Not Going To Retract The Last Blog - And Here's Why

The Dayton Defender!

@ September 19, 2008 10:34 AM Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

A query from a listener:

"We'll see...

Okay, what happens when this weekend comes and DP&L are still dragging their feet? Will you come back and eat crow?

And let's compare apples-to-apples about when your grandparents were young...society wasn't reliant on electricity the way it is today. Being without power then was the rule rather than the exception. Why won't someone ask ALL of the DP&L "spokespersons" if THEY HAVE POWER and if the execs at DP&L HAVE POWER????"

Who has power and who doesn't have power at this point is, frankly...irrelevant.

Are you even paying attention to what's being said in our newscasts?

Yesterday, Dayton Power and Light said most of the power should be back on by Sunday.

On Monday, D.P. & L. said "Power for most all residents should be back on by Sunday."

Pay attention to that word..."Most".

Yesterday, Dayton Power and Light indicated there could be isolated pockets of customers who might not have power into the next week.

There's no inconsistancy there. Why? The operative word was "Most". Not "All". But, "Most."

Our own Jason Michaels did a very extensive interview last night with a Dayton Power and Light V.P. who took us through step-by-step with what happened, how extensive the damage was, what they were doing to get power restored, why some people won't have power till and possibly through the weekend, and why you're not seeing an army of power trucks in your neighborhood. We'll re-air that interview tonight at 9:06 pm. You'd be more informed to listen carefully to that interview.

These are different times. But, you know what? My grandparents were a lot tougher than most of the whining, complaining, griping people on our phones and on our e-mails right now. I have gotten the impression the past few days most people in this country, and some of those right here in Dayton, are incapable of taking care of themselves in a crisis. This is why I've harped about building your own "emergency kits". I did just that. It made me and the people at my house a lot more comfortable. I had candles, I had water, I had instant coffee, and food rations which we never used, but could if the power stays out for a lot longer.

The military teaches this discipline. Heck, the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts teach this kind of discipline. "Be Prepared".

You don't have spend $100 bucks to build one all at the same time. Take $10 or $20 bucks when you have it. Even 5 dollars would buy you 5 cans of Chef Boy-R-Dee spaghetti and meatballs!

Yeah, it sucks to be sitting in the dark by candlelight listening to the radio. But, consider the people who were affected by hurricane Katrina or Ike. Some have or had no homes, grocery stores were shut down for days or weeks, Banks were closed. Even if you had money, you couldn't get it, because no ATM's worked.

Two thirds to three-quarters of our residents have power right now. They don't all word for Dayton Power and Light.

All you may have...is no electricity. And some of you, granted, have problems with water, which is readily available at fire stations and other public concerns.

Did you ever see the movie "Apollo 13"? There's a scene in it where, after the explosion of the Apollo Service Module, 2 of the 3 astronauts start getting angry and began pointing the finger at each other. Commander Jim Lovell steps in and says: "Hold it. We're not going to spend 15 minutes bouncing off the walls like this. You know why? Because after we get done bouncing off the walls, we're still going to have the same problem."

I can appreciate everyone's frustration. Remember, I'm still out of power at my house,too. We'd all do well to take some advice from the crew of Apollo 13.

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What others are saying

Allow me to retort...
First of all, who has power is relevant because the excuse is that certain places are "higher priority" than others. My guess is that NONE of the higher ups at DP&L are without power. If not, does that mean that they are "higher priority" than the rest of us?

Secondly, I think everyone here can take care of themselves so you don't do yourself any favors by belittling your audience.

My biggest complaint is that in this day and age DP&L is so unprepared that a windstorm can cripple the entire Dayton area!! Imagine what it would be like if a real disaster struck...what about a terrorist attack? And what about the people in the DDN who have a small child that needs a breathing machine...DP&L told them "sorry, good luck"! They had to borrow a generator from a neighbor! Guess that isn't as "
high priority" as DP&L execs?

Anyway, I'll leave you to count your DP&L stock while I try to open my can of Chef Boyardee spaghetti with teeth so I can eat it cold.....
By Gary @ 09/19/08 04:04:51 PMreport abuse