A Water Valley Ice Storm Miracle
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Hill Country Living
By Coulter Fussell
Exactly sixteen hours after the power went out and at the very moment I clinked my cup of ice-cold red wine against my husband’s cup of ice-cold red wine in an act of resignation to what was surely a weeks-long frigid fate, our ceiling fan started turning. We both stared upward at the lazy brown blades circling above our toboggan-encased heads, stunned. Were we hallucinating? Was this the final stages of hypothermia? Had we accidentally performed some ancient Catholic red wine ceremony that initiated a miracle?
We had power! Yes, ironic that we found out via the cool breeze of a ceiling fan but also very Southern so it was on brand for a Mississippi ice storm. Right before this scene, we had walked from our house on Wood Street to visit our good friends, the York’s, on Panola Street. They had a generator and some gas logs. I had needed to charge my phone and computer. My husband asked me why in the world I needed a laptop. I said, “My column! I have to write my column. It’s due in the morning.” He had a good laugh at that. Look, a local feature writer can’t sleep on the news!
I got my power back quickly compared to others who are still waiting. It took me a while but I convinced my friends to boot up and walk over to my house to get warm and take showers. I knew it would make them feel better as my one trip to the Yorks’ warm dining room had rejuvenated me, mentally. When my friends arrived, we all stood around the kitchen, sharing stories and laughing. One friend (I won’t name her but you likely know her) admitted to eating a whole pack of cold hotdogs in one day because she was bored. One of the teenage kids couldn’t understand why he was so hungry all the time considering he had just been laying down flat for three days. We all seriously discussed how we would like to buy Water Valley Electric Commission t-shirts.
It was an absolute joy to watch each of these friends discover via text, one by one, that their houses had gotten electricity back. One of these friends had FOUR children with her. I’ve never heard so much cheering in my life!
A day earlier, I saw Brandon Presley’s truck pulled up in front of the BTC. Alexe Van Buren and Katelyn Presley were bringing a shopping cart full of pimento cheese out of the front of Alexe’s grocery store. They were loading the food into the truck. The cart of food was clearly going to some charitable situation. I assume the line workers.
I took the opportunity to tell Brandon how much his work on our town’s electrical situation and his near-constant online communication with townspeople was appreciated. I also told him to take a nap.
I don’t need to go over in this column how much Brandon, the line workers and town volunteers have done to keep us above water…or ice, as the case may be. Sometimes a dire situation boils down to how good your resources are in terms of generous, able-bodied menfolk with mechanical know-how. And the men and women who donate the groceries, man the businesses and warming stations and keep the elderly and kids warm — we have an abundance of these people in Water Valley. It’s why we’re on our way to getting up and rolling. I wish this type of thing for every town. But, this time, I sure am glad it’s us.
