In the days following Hurricane Charley, Sarah and I were delighted to have our electricity back. The air conditioning was blowing and the apartment was cool again. We were sleeping well again. Our empty refrigerator was once again restocked.
	It was a treat to be able to relax in the evenings again and watch TV, especially with the Olympics on the air. Life was back to normal again!
Then, Saturday, August 21st, a week and one day after Hurricane Charley blew through, a big thunderstorm opened up over Orlando. Nothing unusual for Orlando where it usually rains at least once everyday during the summer.
But, in the wake of Hurricane Charley's devastation, we were apparently still vulnerable and fragile. About 3:30 in the afternoon, as the rain thundered down outside, I heard a familiar BOOM! BOOM-BOOM! And the lights began to flicker on and off.
	"No," I said. "Please... not again!" But to no avail. The transformer had blown, and we were, once again, without power. Who knew when the power company might return and restore our power. They were off helping others still without power following the hurricane. Maybe we'd get moved back down to the bottom of the list. And we'd just spent $100 restocking our refrigerator!!
So, we opened up the windows, lit the candles, and spent another evening in the dark. We went to bed prepared for another hot, uncomfortable night.
But, sometime around one o'clock in the morning, I awoke to find the green glow of the digital clock flashing by the bedside. I could hear the air conditioning blowing. The power was back! Hooray for the power company! Life was again back to normal. But for how long this time...?
Posted: 8/22/04