Storms vs. electricity

We are so accustomed to convenient electricity that we tend to take it for granted — until it goes out.

Of course, we experienced that firsthand in recent months, as tornadoes and other big storms throughout the Southeast caused massive damage to electrical lines and triggered power outages.

Most of the interruptions have been relatively brief, though some people were without service for longer periods.

The Tennessee Valley Authority and its distributors transmit power via overhead lines to countless homes and businesses. The lines obviously are vulnerable to high winds, and the tornadoes and other severe storms reportedly knocked out 108 TVA power transmission lines and 353 power towers.

Numerous power distributors and hundreds of thousands of their residential and business customers suffered power loss.

North Alabama and a great deal of Northeast Mississippi, for instance, were left without power for about a week.

There was the inconvenient loss of television and the use of other appliances. But a lack of refrigeration was more serious. Fortunately, spring weather during the time in question was mostly mild, so heating and air conditioning disruptions were not huge problems.

The most serious results of the storms have been the tragic losses of life, of course, as well as major damage to homes and other property.

And the extensive devastation from the storms has added up to tremendous costs, which eventually will be spread among all of us to some degree, whether through higher insurance rates or lost productivity.

We generally take quick resumption of electric service after an outage for granted. But fast or slow, that restoration has been a result of arduous work over long hours by the people who professionally provide our electricity. Many of those workers have braved bad conditions and worked tirelessly to restore power lines.

We are reminded of how dependent we are upon electricity, and we appreciate those who keep it flowing to us.