The power truck driver said he’d been working 16-hour shifts for 30 days. Though exhaustion lined his face, he kept a great attitude restoring electricity to areas hit by back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton. His commitment was admirable.
“Do you need any food?” I asked, hoping to show appreciation to him.
“Nah,” he said. “Our company takes good care of us. People keep trying to give us stuff to eat.” He reached toward the dash and waved a Honeybun gift he was saving for a snack.
“Where do you all stay?”
“We get put up in a large trailer with bunks,” he said. “There’s AC but it smells like stinky feet.”
He kept a great sense of humor despite fatigue.
The storms unleashed sorrow and suffering, but they also revealed people’s strength. Acquaintances waded through ankle-deep muddy water to salvage what they could from their lakeside home. They didn’t complain. They handled the shock and kept doing what they could.
Another friend kayaked to his home’s front door to begin the restoration process. An enterprising driver dragged a 20-foot tree behind his truck with just a chain around the trunk because he had no trailer.
Neighbors took turns finding fuel to run generators and shuttled red gas cans back and forth. Grocery store clerks kept shelves stocked, and arborists dangled from huge branches to clear roads.
Thank you to all the amazing people who found a way to move forward without complaint and help others!
And appreciation to Tara for her lovely artwork reminding us that our strength comes from the Lord.
Hurricanes can't blow away our determination to regroup!