Getting the Power Back
Local News
by
Jenna Mann
last edited on
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
A White Lake area family know what's it's like to survive without power. They lost it early in the storm, and just got it back Tuesday afternoon.
A generator run by a 1955 John Deere tractor has kept Peter and Judy Licht going for nearly a week.
Peter Licht says, "When the hot water heater was on, everything else that needed power or drew heat, I had off."
Their sheep started giving birth on Thursday, around the same time their power went out. The Lichts have lived on their farm north of White Lake for 25 years, and have been through this before.
Judy Licht says, "We were kind of concerned about how long this was going to go on, but it's nice that it's back."
Now that the sun's shining and the wind has stopped blowing, for the most part, crews are able to get back out to the lines and help families like the Lichts.
Line Foreman Pat Rake says, "It was getting pretty tough. Visibility from the front bumper to six, eight feet tops."
Pat Rake's crew from Central Electric was making progress on Tuesday. During the winter weather, he says his crew was only able to get power back to a couple dozen homes. Central Electric officials say they expect to have power back to almost all of their customers by the end of Thursday.
For the Lichts, turning off the tractor brings relief. And soon, others like them across the state could experience the same feeling.