When a Buchanan-based meter electrician saw a shoeless and distressed senior citizen sitting in her yard in the heat of the rising sun over New Buffalo, Mich., during a power outage, he acted.
Mark was working storm restoration following the August derecho. He received a trouble ticket for a wire down pole-to-pole. When Mark arrived, he saw cable TV wires down and continued tracing the circuit, which was off the regular roadway.
As he was tracing, he went down a long driveway and saw an elderly woman sitting halfway up in her yard. Unsure of her well-being, he approached her and asked if she was OK. Mark observed she had no shoes on, and she said she did not know where she was.
Mark saw that she did not appear hurt and offered to help her get to her porch, and the woman accepted. He held her hands and walked backward so she would not fall.
Mark contacted our Field Communications team, which provided the home address and advised him to call 911. After calling 911, Mark went to the porch where he saw a note on her front door explaining that her caretaker had left her house at 9 p.m. the night before.
The woman’s power was out, and Mark was unsure how long she had been outside in her yard. She told him she wanted to go inside to her recliner and drink some water. When she asked Mark to help her into the house, Mark weighed the situation and determined the best course of action was to help her inside.
As he was helping, he saw notes and a phone number for her power of attorney. So Mark called the number. The person who answered was appreciative of Mark helping their loved one, and he assured them that he will not leave until police arrived. About an hour later the police showed up, and her caretaker was expected soon, so Mark returned to his storm duties.