so much involved. also you have a number of homes so damaged they cannot pass any inspection to get the power back on. i know the customes without power are running out of patience but you have to put things in perspective. even with katrina the damage was horrific but not sure it involved as many people in such a 'small' area. i know the lineman and utility company workers are doing their best to get people's power back on as soon as possible. This same topic comes up year after year, disaster after disaster. If they had started burying lines, in pvc conduit, gradually, so many circuits per year, it would eventually be done. No more tre problems, no more drunken driver hit poles, no more dead birds and critters. Maybe utullities should be taken from the hands of corporate America and put into public utillites so that the almighty dollar doesn't drive maintenance and construction. Don't feel sorry for these crews, yes they are working long hours and in dangerous conditions. But trust me, they are being paid very very well. Do a search and see what a lineman makes. These guys are on double and triple time pay scales to due to the hours of work. If power poles and phone poles can last for a very long time buried in wet ground and exposed to the weather, wouldn't it make sense for FEMA or for a consortium of utility companies to maintain a very large and