Thursday is Day Four without power. Management lessons become visible. Media lessons become visible.

Watching television is a strange way to pass the time. Local tv stations are doing their level best to whip up controversy. There are some people who have already exhausted their personal supplies, and indeed, they are standing in line. It’s like a music festival without the music. But if you get away from the television, you can see a different picture.

Crews are mobilizing to help get power restored. Entrepreneurs are roaming the streets with chainsaws and pressure washers. Citizens are moving STFO and SSIH in manageable piles so municipal crews can remove it with large mechanical jaws. (STFO – Stuff that fell off. SSIH – Stuff snapped in half.)

I attended a meeting at a local college this morning, its administrative staff and faculty in the foyer organizing how to get classrooms fired back up by next Monday. At another location, response teams are rolling trucks to restock gear and refuel power generators. A barbeque grill churns out hamburgers as each driver packs some food before they disappear for another run.

I think we will survive this. -TF