JEA Cuts Power To 102-Year-Old's Home

[The Straight Story]

JEA Cuts Power To 102-Year-Old's Home
Woman Taken To Shands After Sitting In Heat, Without Water

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Emma Watson, 102, has lived in the same house for more than 80 years, but now she is in the hospital because her power has been shut off and she can't go home until it's back on.

In home video sent by Watson's friends to Channel 4, Watson appears cheerful and happy.

That likely wasn't how she felt after being taken to the hospital by an ambulance this week after JEA shut her power off. Watson was found sitting in her house in the heat with no lights or water.

"I was shocked because she is 102 years old, and when I found out they turned off her electricity, I said, 'When did they do that?' and she said, 'This morning, and I just had enough time to make coffee,'" said Renay Smith, Watson's friend and neighbor.

....

The Jacksonville Association of Firefighters first helped Watson by getting her to the hospital. The association said it's going to help her again by paying for the rest of her electric bill, so when she is released from the hospital, she'll have power and a cool home to recuperate.

http://www.news4jax.com/news/23848454/detail.html

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pipi_k]

5. Because then people will be living to 65 just from spite...

said sort of "tongue-in-cheek"... ;)



but yeah...there should be an age at which our citizens are treated with more respect and care by our "civilized" society.

[Dappleganger]

2. Jacksonville is a republican's dream...

they have truly destroyed the potential of this city. JEA is an arm of the mayor and city council and a prime example of all that is wrong with this state. There is currently no programs in place with JEA to help them know which of their customers are elderly or handicapped. To them everybody is just a number.

[izquierdista]

4. I'd guess there is a color difference

Between JEA and Ms. Watson, but that would just be my liberal sensitivities getting aroused over nothing, right?

[Dappleganger]

6. Ms. Watson is white...

but around here the city hates anyone who's not rich and doesn't go to 1st Baptist downtown.

[izquierdista]

9. Well, she IS a celebrity

But she seems to have aged quite a bit since her appearance in Harry Potter.

[Dappleganger]

12. *snort*

If only someone would take care of JEA that way, I would soooo buy them dinner!

[indepat]

13. What a stupidly brainless societal solution when centenarians can't pay their light bill: shut off

the power and create a several-thousand-dollar hospital bill for someone not sick, injured, or recuperating, but who likely would have died if left alone at home in 100-degree heat with no utilities: how can these unfettered assholes be such good Christians? :grr:

[Ruby the Liberal]

3. Here in Civilization, we have a neighbor cares program where the poor and elderly

can register as being in need. Then, when the power is about to be pulled, they pull the funds from the general donation fund.

I am surprised Jacksonville doesn't have some kind of elderly program in place. They used to - for preparing for hurricane evacuations.

[Dappleganger]

7. It's no surprise at all.

You should see how the treat the homeless around here.

[Ruby the Liberal]

8. Why can't they cross reference the addresses from the hurricane assistance list

to the utility database?

Take 19 seconds and add a checkbox to the account record and then hire a bunch of high school kids to data enter it over the summer.

Unbelievable.

[Dappleganger]

11. Oh you have got to be kidding!

That would take some planning and forethought, and at least a special commission to determine the viability of the nature of such an endeavor. They we'll open up bids just for show and let the highest-priced company take over the project.

I'll call all of my old republican college buddies and see if they're up for some extra bonus money this year!

*in my best Mayor Peyton's voice*

:sarcasm:

[Ruby the Liberal]

14. Better to have the story of turning off the water/power of a 102 year old

in a city that is already tracking infirmed/elderly/handicapped/needy for Hurricane evacuation go viral on the internet.

Go team!

:crazy:

[Wednesdays]

10. Emma Watson? They messin' with the wrong woman