ENDING A NIGHTMARE : POWER RETURN THRILLS AREA LONG IN DARK.Byline: Eric Wahlgren Daily News Staff Writer It was the sudden, quiet whir whir v. whirred, whir·ring, whirs v.intr. To move so as to produce a vibrating or buzzing sound. v.tr. To cause to make a vibratory sound. n. 1. of her refrigerator just before noon Friday that, for the first time in five days, brought a smile to Marian Montiel's face. The fierce winds that knocked out her power early Monday morning and left a tree downed on her property were bad enough, she said. But it was the subsequent five days of silence that seemed a nightmare. Montiel said she constantly feared her 9-year-old daughter, Jennifer, who suffers from a congenital lung disease lung disease Pulmonary disease Pulmonology Any condition causing or indicating impaired lung function Types of LD Obstructive lung disease–↓ in air flow caused by a narrowing or blockage of airways–eg, asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis; , would experience a respiratory attack that might be fatal without use of her electrically powered breathing device, called a Pulmo Aide. The family was prepared to rush Jennifer to a hospital emergency room but, without health insurance, would have had trouble paying the bill, Montiel said. ``You don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. how much you appreciate electricity until you do without it,'' said Montiel, with tears welling in her eyes. Four telephone calls by Montiel to Southern California Edison Southern California Edison (or SCE Corp), the largest subsidiary of Edison International (NYSE: EIX), is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California. It provides 11 million people with electricity. failed to get power restored swiftly to the seven homes in her 2400 block of Prospect Avenue. She said Southern California Edison officials told her she would need a doctor's note confirming her daughter's condition before they could make her home a service priority. ``I guess they didn't think it was serious,'' said the 46-year-old Montiel, who is retraining re·train tr. & intr.v. re·trained, re·train·ing, re·trains To train or undergo training again. re·train at Glendale Career College after an on-the-job injury last year. Montiel said she didn't get a physician's letter because power company officials assured her they were doing their best, and she assumed that meant the repairs would be made quickly. Edison spokeswoman Cathy Sedlik said the company, if it had received a doctor's note, would have provided an interim-use generator, if necessary. ``We actually map out where these people are,'' Sedlik said about health-priority customers. She said the company will send Montiel a special form to establish her as a priority customer in the future. ``They would become a priority in terms of bringing up service as soon as possible,'' she said. It took crews until Friday to get to the homes on Prospect Avenue, she added, because of the extent of damage to the lines and because fallen trees had to be cleared before the company could send in repair trucks. She said that, although the company believes ``all of our customers are a first priority,'' crews generally make repairs that affect the greatest number of customers first, working down to smaller clusters. Up the street, Montiel's neighbors Bob and Jean Hunter were happy finally to disconnect disconnect - SCSI reconnect the 200-foot extension cord they had been running from a neighbor's house to keep their refrigerator going. ``Trying to prepare dinner in the dark was not easy,'' said Jean Hunter, 63. ``We have bumped into these things "These Things" is an EP by She Wants Revenge, released in 2005 by Perfect Kiss, a subsidiary of Geffen Records. Music Video The music video stars Shirley Manson, lead singer of the band Garbage. Track Listing 1. "These Things [Radio Edit]" - 3:17 2. more than one time in our life, and you sort of keep going.'' Edison officials said crews have been working around the clock to respond to what the company calls the second most damaging windstorm wind·storm n. A storm with high winds or violent gusts but little or no rain. windstorm A storm with high winds or violent gusts but little or no rain. on record. They said power was back on by Friday to all but a handful of customers. More than 900,000 Edison customers suffered at least momentary mo·men·tar·y adj. 1. Lasting for only a moment. 2. Occurring or present at every moment: in momentary fear of being exposed. 3. Short-lived or ephemeral, as a life. blackouts in the windstorm Monday and Tuesday, officials said. About 100,000 Los Angeles Department of Water and Power The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) is the largest municipal utility in the United States, serving 3.9 million residents in 2006. It was founded in 1902 to deliver water and electricity supplies to residents and businesses in Los Angeles. customers also faced temporary blackouts. The winds were blamed for two deaths and for widespread property damage. ``I feel that we can get our lives back again,'' Montiel said as she walked through her home, turning off switches that were left on when the power went out. Montiel said her 19-year-old daughter, Sonia, would go ahead with her wedding today, an event she had planned to postpone because Montiel could not have cooked any of the dishes planned for the reception. Though the food purchased for the reception spoiled in the refrigerator during the outage out·age n. 1. A quantity or portion of something lacking after delivery or storage. 2. A temporary suspension of operation, especially of electric power. while the Montiels dined on canned goods donated by friends, Montiel said she was ready Friday to start preparing a feast for the celebration. ``I was really going to cancel this wedding,'' Montiel said. ``I was ready to say, `This is it.''' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) Marian Montiel looks at a fallen tree Friday outside her home on Prospect Avenue, where residents were without power for five days after a windstorm. (2) Jean and Bob Hunter use their wood chipper chipper Drug slang An occasional user of illicit drugs. See Recreational drug use Tobacco A popular term for a person who smokes < 5 cigarettes/day, who may be resistant to nicotine dependence or addiction, and often born to non-smoking parents. to deal with tree limbs downed by the recent windstorm. Tina Gerson/Daily News |
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