Ten days ago, my home was affected by the ice storm we had in New England. Never before have I experienced the hardship of having to vacate my home with my family due to one of Mother Nature's moods.
I can sympathize with Hurricane Katrina victims and anyone else affected by natural disasters in whatever shape they come, fires, earthquakes, tornados, etc..
We had to find someone with a generator to wire to our furnace, since the Home Depot line for generators extended from front to back of the store, awaiting the next shipment. We have two little children who were dealing with a stomach bug during this time, I came down with it when our house dropped down to 51 degrees and we decided it was time to go. I have many people to thank for everything they've done in the past week. I'd like to do it right here:
Ryan Lower, Keene, NH area plumber, for quickly offering his generator after our first 3 days of darkness.
Scott Filiminov for his free advice on how to winterize a home if need-be.
Karen Cota and Gary Robinson (and family) for their extreme willingness to help us out by bringing fresh water to our horses to keep it from freezing, helping watch our house for us while we took shelter elsewhere, and communicating with us about where to get drinking water.
Chip, Selectman of Roxbury and Al and his crew (volunteer fire department in Sullivan, NH) for bringing our family water, for helping with our sump pump needs, for providing daily updates on the tree and power progress regionally.
Toni Ellsworth, Executive Director of Rise...for Baby and Family, for her support when I was unable to contribute to a volunteer duty; I'd planned to deliver Christmas gifts to local families and was unable due to home and family needs.
PSNH Electric and ALL of the electric crews (700+ from Penn. to Quebec) who came and worked endless hours, taking abuse from angry locals, and finally restored the power on our road. They may be working straight through Xmas and I am thinking of them and their family!
My husband for his endless (though tiresome) work to keep our home heated, watering and feeding the horses and chickens, and taking care of us all when we were sick...one at a time during that horrible week.
Better Homes and Gardens The Masiello Group for a listening ear as I went to work and looked daily for some holiday goodies to bring back to my kids.
And I can not forget Nancy Thompson of BH&G TMG for her kindness and quick thinking to offer a rental home to us for temporary housing, bringing us soup and a meal during our first night there, and checking in on us...
I can now say that our home's power has been restored and I guarentee to be on the giving side of helping others during times like this when natural disasters create havoc for families in our region.
Thank you and have a happy holiday to all of you!
Stephanie Jacques
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