Woman Lives For 15 Years Without Electricity (Power knocked out during hurricane Andrew)

[matcom]

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CUTLER BAY, Fla. -- A south Florida woman lived without power for more than a decade.

The woman's power was knocked out in 1992 by Hurricane Andrew. She said shady contractors ruined her home's electric wiring and she couldn't come up with the money to fix it.

So, for 15 years, the woman lived without heat, air conditioning and hot water. She's so embarrassed, she didn't want to be identified.

"I think it's like everything. You learn how to step into it, wait, and then when you get used to it, you take a quick shower," she said.

When the woman's mayor in Cutler Bay found out how she'd been living, he called in electricians to restore her power.

The first thing the homeowner did was take a long, hot bath.

http://www.wftv.com/irresistible/11053909/detail.html

[AllegroRondo]

1. I wonder if the electic company kept sending her bills

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2. There's a lady down the street from us who has lived with no electricity since 1972.

I have never spoken with her, but I have seen her drving down the street a few times. She looks like she's in her 60s and drives a huge black 1953 Cadillac which has been completely restored and is always spotless. Her next-door-neighbor told me that in 1972 she had a dispute with San Diego Gas & Electric and didn't pay the bill, so they shut off her gas and electricity and she has lived without both for the past 35 years. She lives alone and at night, of course, the house is completely dark. The neighbor told me she has a propane tank in her backyard and uses propane to cook with and to make hot water. Fortunately we live in a climate where the temperature rarely drops below freezing (although it did get down to 25 a few nights this past January). I don't see how she can do it; I certainly couldn't. But to think of how much money she has saved over the years - I figure at least $20,000 over a 35-year span.