Day 3, I guess, of October Storm 2006. I have taken in a houseguest. She, like about 300,000 others, still has no electricity. I've been checking updates at the National Grid site, about every 4 hours, and their numbers of folks who still need service seem actually to be rising--230,000 to 246,000 between 12 and 4 pm.

On my own street, I can observe after dark that around 1/3 of the properties have no power. The street is definitely a hazardous zone--sometimes the parking lanes are blocked, sometimes the sidewalk. The dog is perplexed by our circuitous route.

Walked up to Richmond Avenue just now, to check out what the trucks were doing--scooping up tree limbs and loading them out. I wish that the city would give some direction about how citizens could help with tree debris--this, at least, is not a highly dangerous or technical job. Do they want limbs piled in one direction, or criss-cross? We could handle this task.

My prayer tonight is that the workers find all the magical connections possible--one wire which can restore awhole block or even neighborhood to humming, a solution to the puzzle which is the map at present. I'm grateful to the crews which have come from Ohio and elsewhere to staff trucks and positions. Thinking good thoughts, and thank you.