Without them, each of us would be responsible for digging wells for our own use and pumping our own water, as it was done back in the 1800's. I, for one, am very grateful that the utility companies have assumed this task for us. Just as we take fresh water for granted, so do we take the electricity that is brought into our homes for granted. But, for a moment, imagine how different life would be without lights, heat, radios, televisions, or microwaves. We have come to enjoy these simple comforts and it is hard to imagine going through a day without them.
Electricity plays such a large role in our day to day lives.
Since I was born in the 1980's, I have always known life with power and water. However, during the flood, when nearly my entire town of East Grand Forks lost these services, I began to see how truly vital they were. I also began to appreciate the hard work and efforts of the men and women who work at these companies. My family and I were very thankful when our provider constructed a network of temporary water pipeline throughout our community and into the Sherlock Park area, where I lived. We were able to connect our personal houses to this pipeline and were able to obtain fresh water for cleaning our work boots and those items that we were able to salvage from our home.