Power Outage

 On September 4th, 2026, Erie, Pa., experienced a severe and sudden storm over the previous two to three weeks, causing rapid shifts across the community. Trees fell onto cars, power lines were pushed onto roads and railroad crossings, and traffic jams clogged Erie County. Power failed in local homes, including my family’s, and our sink backed up from tree roots entering the plumbing outside Many neighbors and my family offered assistance, and we shared battery-powered chargers to keep phones running while limiting use to conserve energy for emergencies. In my opinion I consider electricity vital; a gas stove and a few battery packs can help, but power remains essential. One striking detail was that a tree struck my neighbor’s red car, while another fell on my mom’s car without damage, which I attribute to luck. The largest tree in the area crushed my neighbor’s vehicle, and workers needed nearly a week to clear debris, branches, and bark to restore the streets. We lost Wi-Fi, which was the least concern, even though my mom needed caught up on work and eventually we replaced the modem for faster internet, continuing through the day. Everything was returning to normal, but the tree remained on my neighbor’s car while passers by took pictures—even this person did so. Eventually, we saw them on social media discussing the tree with my neighbor, who had concerns and conflict. It grew so intense that it went viral and appeared on the news. After a couple of days, this person said they will be back around here, but until now they finally removed and cut down the tree, lifting it with a truck that had a crane. Every issue was resolved, and everything returned to normal.

• David Gillespie