Storm Fatigue: Nor'easters Taking Toll On Mass. Residents
BOSTON (CBS) - How many times have you heard this today: "Oh no, not again!" That's what a lot of us are saying as the next big storm bears down on us.
There are flooded basements, no electricity, downed trees and no school. And we're getting sick of it. Some people call it "storm fatigue," and it can take a toll.
Third Nor'easter Could Bring Two Feet Of Snow
"Wednesday night my husband and I were going to bed at about 10 and that's when the power went out," says Joan. And the electricity stayed out for the ironically named Powers family in Dracut until last night. Four very long days. "My husband and I were stressed out. It was missed work," Joan says.
She was restocking her refrigerator Monday after losing all of the family's perishable food to the outage. "We lost our deep freezer downstairs. We had a big leak and had to clean up the water. All the food that was in there is gone," she says.
At first Joan, her husband and two kids stayed with family, thinking the electricity would be back on quickly. "It wasn't!" Joan says.
Then they came home, fired up the wood stove and everyone slept in the living room. "We kept checking throughout the day, but still nothing," says Joan.
The wait and frustration continued. "By the time the weekend came around, everybody was pretty grouchy. I think the hardest part was there was no control on our end," she says.
Though the lights and heat are finally back on, even the kids are upset about coming nor'easter. "When a kid doesn't want a snow day, then there's been enough. I'm kind of hoping that trees already fell down so there won't be any to knock the power out," Joan says.
And she is trying to see the bright side. "I did realize there are a lot of good people who are out there who will help," she says.
The family was also lucky enough to eventually borrow a generator from someone whose power came back on quickly. The Powers were among the last people to get their power back in the Dracut area.