Avon Lake pulling together in crisis

The city experienced a power loss Sunday evening (20 minutes prior to Sunday night Browns football game which was a real bummer) as had did several surrounding cities. This power loss we were told could last a few days till as long as Friday for everyone to get power back. But there was some real positive things that came out of this experience.

1. The city has a reverse 911 system that I was not aware of but is real effective. The system called us and advised us by tape that we would have a loss for a period of time and to check on our neighbors to make sure that they are OK. The system also informed us as to that the kids would be off from school because of the loss and also advised us who to call of down wires or other concerns with the phone number. I thought this was real neat. Sometimes you feel alone but that call gets things moving.

2. People in Avon Lake are just great neighbors. People lending candles and flashlights like they were selling something come to your door. I was without a refrigerator and 3 people who had power called and said that they freezer space and to just drop it off. The phone chain was started where someone would call the next person on the chain in our neighborhood if we had updated information on the situation or heard whether the kids were going back to school. Even some i house street day care was started so parents could get supplies and errands run since kids were out of school.

All in all even though power has not been fully restored I feel at ease as does my wife and kids. I think this city should be proud of the people who live here. Avon Lake is just a great place to be.

Stan Stepak