Let there be light. And ice. And food. And gas.
It was a familiar refrain around Columbus last night as darkness cloaked the city and residents scrambled to cope with a power outage which early reports indicated could last anywhere from two to six days.
In the absence of the basic, people clung to the new familiar — the technological umbilical cords of glowing cell phone screens, which brought spotty news through status updates and text messages.
At Huck”s Place, a restaurant in downtown Columbus, staff were preparing to open for the supper crowd when the lights went out. While manager Bubba Huckaby called vendors and tried to forestall food shipments, nearly 20 employees sat at the bar, talking to friends on Facebook and Twitter.
At Tina Watkins” on Highway 45 N., people juggled armloads of beer and cigarettes as they skimmed their phones. Many were visibly frustrated when they learned that while the store was open, they couldn”t use their debit cards and they couldn”t fill their tanks — both transactions require power.
“Where can I buy gas?” one man asked.
“Try Reform, Ala. They still have power,” a woman replied.
“You”ve just got to laugh about it,” said Betty Webb, who came to the store to stock up on bottled water.
Water was also a hot commodity at Kroger, which was operating on generator power. People packed shopping carts with tiki torches and quelled their frustrations by calling friends. But some took it all in stride.
“I”m originally from New Orleans, so this is nothing to me,” said Mike LaPoint, who rode out Hurricane Katrina. “Number one is beer. Number two: Candles. Number three: Tiki torches so I can sit by the pool and drink my beer. If it gets too crazy, I”ll just go back to my house in New Orleans. I have power there.”
”There”s good people here”
Columbus High School student Hagan Walker wasn”t sure what he could do, but he knew he had to do something. He couldn”t just sit at his house on Ridge Road when his neighbors needed help. He thought about the 6,500-watt generator his family owned. Sure, they could use it to power their home, but maybe it could be put to better use.
He consulted his father, Jim Walker. Why not take the generator to nearby Pennyridge Grocery and see if the owners could use it?
Nicky Chipps said she was “gobsmacked” when the lanky blond strode into the neighborhood store she runs with her husband, Gary Chipps. They had been doing a brisk trade in candy, chips, cigarettes, and beer — tallying totals on a calculator and accepting cash only — but they had turned away nearly 100 people who came in search of gas.
Three hours, dozens of helping hands, one generator, and one electrician later, Pennyridge Grocery was back in business.
Drivers jammed the parking lot in front of the squat cinderblock store and gathered around the gas pumps. When the first pump came on, people cheered as if it was a slot machine and they had just won the mother lode.
Chipps said she was grateful to Walker, hailing him as a community hero. But Walker shrugged, saying the credit should go to the neighborhood itself and the people who pulled together in a time of adversity to make the best of a bad situation.
“Some of these people I”ve never seen before, and they”ve spent hours helping,” he said, weaving between cars to make change and direct traffic. “It”s cool that Pennyridge was able to open their doors and really serve the community.”
Tawanda Brown was so relieved to find an open gas station, she nearly cried as she stumbled from her sports utility vehicle and slumped against the fender. She lives in Columbus but works in Starkville, where power was also out. As she drove home, she watched her gas gauge and worried about how she would get to work the next day.
Brown shook her head in amazement when she learned of Walker”s generosity.
“It”s a beautiful blessing,” Brown said. “There”s good people here.”
Gary Chipps agreed. He and his wife have only owned Pennyridge Grocery for two months, but the 35-year-old business was in danger of closing down completely before they purchased it. He said since they took ownership, many people have thanked them for saving a community icon and a relic from their childhood.
Around 10:30 p.m., as business slowed down, Chipps looked around the store, dazed. Many of his shelves were completely empty. He estimated nearly 200 people bought gas and more than that came in for snacks and other goodies to make life without electricity more palatable.
Though the store normally closes at 8 p.m., he said he planned to stay open as long as necessary to serve the community.
As for Walker, he had to eventually go home. Even heroes have calculus homework.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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