Power outage put elderly friend in grave danger

We've just been through several days of the PG&E power shutdown, all brought about because of the wide spread fires caused by, per the Sac Bee, a lack of maintenance of the power grid. Those of us without generators have been camping in our homes with our battery-powered lanterns, listening to our little battery-powered radios, hoping to hear that PG&E was planning to turn on the power soon. And trying to make the most of the situation. We realized early on that no power meant no water. The pressure tank supplied a limited amount of water but it wasn't going to see us through the entire power shutdown. No power meant no water, no telephone, no TV, no internet. Sure, we're used to all of that, but now it was all gone for who knew how long. We could get vague messages; usually telling us when the power would be turned off.One of the first things I did was get a ladder, climb to the top of our holding tank, remove the lid, and then scoop water out and hand it down to Mickie. We filled several containers with water so we'd at least be able to flush the toilet.But what about the folks out here in the country that are on a well but don't have a holding tank? Where were they going to get water? I can't help but believe that problem never occurred to the PG&E power shutdown planners. It's understandable that they were preoccupied with getting the fires out but that doesn't excuse them from considering the danger their decisions might bring about. The day after the power shutdown, Mickie and I drove out to some older friends' home to make sure they were doing all right. We couldn't call them. Their phone was not in service. The lady of the house met us at the front door with a distressed look on her face. I asked her if they made it through the power shutdown OK the night before. She told me they're on a well and without power, they had no water and weren't able to flush the toilet. She's 85 and moves very slowly with a cane. Her husband is 90.She told me the night before, during the shutdown, her husband got up during the night to use the bathroom and in the darkness, took a bad fall.She said her phone was out because of the shutdown and she didn't have a cell phone. She had no way of calling for help and her 90-year-old husband needed medical attention.This brave 85-year-old frail lady made the only move she had left. She got her cane and left the house looking for help, in search of a telephone.They live out in the country; down a winding rutted gravel road. In the darkness of night, she slowly made her way on foot down that rutted gravel road a few hundred yards to the nearest neighbor, and asked them for help. Thankfully, the neighbor had a charged cell phone and called for help and her husband is OK today.This is unacceptable. We could have lost that poor man for lack of medical help. We can't lose sight of our elders' safety.Our oldest son phoned us that night, wondering if we were getting through all of this all right. I felt the tears run down my checks as I sobbed, trying to tell him of that frail lady's bravery trying to save her beloved husband. Let's not let this become the new normal. Dan Tomich, who spent his career in the construction industry, lives in North Auburn with his wife, Mickie. Their sons are grown and are all in the same trade. Tomich can be reached at dttomich@gmail.com.