June 11, 2008: Enduring The Thunderstorm

Story and Photo By Joe Zlomek

The couple sat at their dining room table, catching up on the news of each others' day and sharing a late dinner, when the power went out.

The outage could have been anticipated. Storm clouds, which had been turning blacker as each of the two drove home from work, showed every sign of a violent evening ahead. Thunder cracked in the distance. Lightning lit up the night.

A diamond-shaped, bright orange sign warns of the potential for flooding at the entrance to Warwick County Park in Knauertown, Chester County, PA. 2007-10-13.

The real downpour held off until both were safely home, and dinner was nearly finished, and the conversation almost played out. The rain started in earnest and, a short time later, the electricity ended.

Darkness inside the house was dispersed only by the flicker of a few candles. It wasn't a lack of light but an abundance of humidity -- intensified by late spring heat that preceded the storm -- that made her decide the bedroom would be more comfortable. She kissed, said "goodnight," and felt her way upstairs.

He opted to sit outside, beneath the short canopy that served as a porch at the front of the house. There was just enough room there to place a chair pulled from the kitchen, and stay sheltered from the rain. He sat for more than an hour, listening.

Down the street, a similarly afflicted but apparently better prepared neighbor was running a gasoline power generator. Folks in the house just across the way sat out on their own front porch for awhile and chatted, but lost enthusiasm as night deepened. At 9:30 p.m. they went inside, and lit an oil lamp on a table in a front room. It could be seen from a bay window, casting a soft glow for 10 feet in all directions.

An occasional car drove past. An emergency siren blared in the distance. The rain lessened.

And at 10:10 p.m., the power came back on.