Powerless

From CBS4-

(CBS4) CUTLER BAY An elderly woman who had been living without power in her home due to hurricane damage was finally seeing the light Friday night, when power to her home was restored. What makes her story amazing is that the hurricane which put her in the dark was Andrew, almost 15 years ago, and she's been living without power to her house since August 24, 1992.

No heat when the winter chill settled over South Florida. No air conditioning when the mercury climbed into the 90's and the humidity clung to 100% .

Not one hot shower at home in nearly 15 years. Every morning started with an icy blast.

"I think it's like everything, you learn how to step into it, and wait, and when you feel it, you take your quick shower," she recalled.

Norena, who didn't want her full name used because she is embarrassed by her situation, lives in Cutler Bay, and her home was severely damaged when Hurricane Andre slammed South Miami-Dade in August, 1992.

Like many people after that horrific storm, she had a problem with an unscrupulous contractor, and when the money from the insurance settlement ran out, the contractor did too, leaving her home half-repaired and not up to code, which meant it would not have the electricity connected.

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Electrical contractor Kent Crook was amazed when he saw how she managed to get a tiny amount of electricity into the house for a Spartan existence.

"She has extension cords running into her house, plugged into a tiny little refrigerator and a cook top, and a lamp or two in front of her house," he marveled.

Somehow, her situation fell through the cracks. Her neighbors never noticed her near-pioneer lifestyle, and County code inspectors never caught the violations which prevented her from connecting up the power.

Pretty darn incredible. I remember our 11 days without power after Hurricane Wilma in 2005, 15 years is beyond my imagination. One good question remains from the above article- If her neighbors and the code inspectors never knew about the violations or her lack of electricity, where was this woman getting her power via the extension cords?

Hat tip- Rick at SOTP
Linked to- Cao's Blog, Is it just me?, Woman Honor Thyself,