Andrew Victim Gets Power After 15 Years

[Herman Munster]

http://cbs4.com/topstories/local_story_048002512.html

(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.

She didn't have the money to complete the work, and she didn't have anyplace else to go. "It just never got done, and the money was gone, so I couldn't do a lot of things to allow me with Dade county to get my power back on," she said.

[AX10]

1. WTF?

[ellenfl]

2. she should have pulled herself up by her bootstraps.

:sarcasm:

ellen fl

[SammyWinstonJack]

3. Wow!

:wow:

[Synnical]

4. This is just unbelievable

The video at the link is so sad.

Something as simple as getting light by flicking a wall switch, something most people do a dozen times a day without thinking, almost overwhelmed Norena.

"It's hard to describe having it come on, to switch on. It's overwhelming," she said.

[theboss]

5. How old is she? In the video, she didn't appear to be home-bound

Something is just wrong with this story.

Does she own the house? Could she have gotten a home equity loan? Was she making payments on the house?

Did she have a job?

Who rigged the electrical cord for her?

[Synnical]

6. Rigged Electric is common in South Fla

after hurricanes. You'll see extension cords running across streets, between yards, as neighbors help each other while waiting for electricity to be restored. As to your other questions, I know as much as you do. Perhaps, and this is just a guess, she was so embarrassed by her situation, being a strong women, she just couldn't bring herself to ask for help, and just dealt with the situation as best she could.



-Cindy in Fort Lauderdale