I'm definitely impressed you were still able to make calls, but I remain unconvinced that capacity is no longer a concern. There was a report on Slashdot during the recent wildfires near San Diego about how cell networks were overloaded and the best way for people to communicate was via the internet.

Yes, people often forget about cordless phones requiring power. That's why one should make sure to at least have a wired phone for backup even if it means putting one with the other emergency supplies.

Also, your usage of the flashlight feature on your phone makes a lot more sense now and I agree it was pretty handy.

I went by that area only a couple weeks later, and you could still see the damage. It was very fortunate that no lives were lost.

As far as our power outage, I found it somewhat surprising. Houses on the next block on either side and across the street had power, but we and our neighbors did not. My memory is that we lost power either Thursday morning or maybe Wednesday night and we did not get it back until Saturday morning. More important than lights, computer, and internet, without power to operate the furnace, though it is gas, it became freezing cold.

I would be extremely surprised if you knew me. Bars aren't really my scene; in fact, I lend credence to several Slashdot memes. It was the fact you were from Springfield that prompted me to reply though; I am usually content just to lurk. After replying to your post last night, I must have read at least three or four highly rated comments from you in other threads.