It is just past 8 a.m. and I have power. And I don’t know why. The wind has been fierce and frightening. But something odd occurred around midnight. As I was watching “The Shipping News” on TV, the power went out.
That was strange considering Irene had barely arrived. Seconds before the power died, I heard a weird noise – and I am at a loss to describe it. It sounded like metal scraping on metal. It was loud and it was unnerving, so much so that it disturbed the cat, who suffers from deafness.
About an hour and a half later, the power was restored. But not before I endured a low, annoying roar during the entire outage. The disturbances didn’t end there. In addition to the sound of sirens off in the distance, I heard a voice (no, I am not crazy). It sounded like a man was on a bullhorn, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying.
Sleep finally came, but it wasn’t restful. The wind started to kick up and the rain was pounding. And it was humid and uncomfortable.
Just before and at daybreak, the wind was in full force, and I have to admit that I was a little scared. My house is surrounded by trees. I watched through a crack in the draperies as the trees swayed back and forth, spewing leaves and branches.
At this hour, the wind seems to have dissipated some and the rain appears to have stopped. News 12 just reported that wind gusts were recorded at 59 mph in nearby Bridgeport. It sounded and felt stronger.
At 7:40 a.m., United Illuminating reported on its website that more than 52,000 customers are without power in its coverage area; more than 7,000 in Fairfield. But so far, I have been spared this morning.
And newscasters are warning viewers and listeners that the full brunt of Irene won’t be felt for a few more hours. Great…
I woke up grateful for a few things. The most important? A cup of hot morning coffee.
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