Letter to the Editor: Thanks to WPS Employees

My hopes are that this letter is indicative of the sentiments of many; myself, being just one person.

My husband and I found ourselves without electricity during the recent snow event that blanketed Northeastern Wisconsin. When it occurred, there was not any forethought on what not having the availability of electricity would mean. No, we flick a switch and it is there!  However, that was to change. For some…hours…many hours…even days. We soon realize that we are dependent upon others. 

In this world of ours, it is easy to become complacent and think we can survive on our own. But can we? Really? As I am sure many did, I put our home on the list of those without electrical power. I have to admit, when a neighbor friend of mine acknowledged that her family’s power had been turned on within eight hours and we were enduring 25 hours of power outage, I was thinking that because of the location of my family’s home somehow, we were being overlooked. Our physical address is wrong, always has been, and Wisconsin Public Service (WPS) cannot find us. So, I did what I think anyone would do: I decided to find WPS personnel. To the two WPS trucks that I followed in the dark of night and then the one (local fellow) WPS worker who I summoned by knocking on the window of his truck – I want to say thank you! Thank you for being a man of your word! I know that you showed up at my neighbor’s home and checked on the outage that affected four of our neighborhood properties. I never asked your name and that I regret, but please know that I appreciate and acknowledge what you did – you followed through on your promise to me. I want to publicly say “thank you” to you and your co-workers for being so understanding – from the lady I spoke to about my family’s electric outage, as well as to you and your co-workers who I encountered at my home. It turned into a pleasant experience within the unpleasant circumstance in which we found ourselves.  

Sonya Jorns

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin