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that happens no body will be getting around.
    Anna’s office has only one small window, and
with the gloomy gray skies, it was dark in there. I brought one of
my battery operated lanterns and set that on her desk while we went
over our lists. She looked longingly at it, so I gave it to her. I
didn’t tell her I had a few more. I reminded her that it took
batteries and she needed to get some from Joe.
    We decided to post important notices at the
township hall and at the post office. There hasn’t been any new
mail in a few days, yet D.J., the postmaster, is there anyway. The
office area where our postal boxes are is open twenty-four hours,
and it is a good place to leave important information. Fram’s might
be another good place for notices. We decided that the first notice
will be a special town meeting scheduled for Friday at noon.
    Considering the fuel delivery disruption, we
discussed the rationing issue and Anna decided to simply shut down
Joe’s gas supply to save it for the EMS, fire trucks and the road
crews, eliminating the need for rationing. People might be more
accepting of that. If someone needed gas it would be allotted on a
case by case determination. A few of us would need a few gallons
each week to get to the offices: Anna, myself, Pete our township
handyman, Mike the fire chief, and Maye, the newly elected clerk.
Everyone else lives within walking distance. It might be a long
time before fuel comes available, so I think it was a wise move,
and I was secretly glad that I didn’t have to make that
decision.
    Anna’s come around quickly, I think partly
because her brother Dennis, the former supervisor, is a nurse in
the city and has relayed some horror stories about these past few
days. Thankfully, she’s willing to work with me in a joint effort
to ensure the safety of the town.
    We now have a more accurate view of our
resources and a better picture of our growing needs. We had lists
of who was where that might need help and I’ll combine them into
one list later tonight when I get back home. Our biggest dilemma is
going to be food. I said I was working on something and needed to
talk to Pastor Carolyn before I discussed it. Anna seemed satisfied
with that but I think that she just doesn’t want to dwell on it. I
was not about to shatter her snow-globe world with the fact that
food is really our major concern, or would be shortly.
    We also have lists of everyone over
sixty-five years of age. I was surprised that there are
seventy-eight seniors, and many of those were living alone, plus
everyone who was disabled or has medical issues. We have a list of
known hunters, a guesstimate of those with wood burning stoves, and
who had a CPL. I had to educate Anna that it meant a Concealed
Pistol License. I still needed to call Karen, Ken, and Bill about
being deputized. Thankfully, the cell phones are still working. The
tower I see from my computer room has a massive battery system that
is constantly being charged by the grid. When the power is out the
batteries take over and can last about a week. After that, no more
cell service and no more internet until power to the grid is
restored.
     
    * * *
     
    JOURNAL ENTRY: November 13
     
    The house was really cold when I got home. I
was away so long that the fire in the stove had gone out. I need to
ask Don if he could come over during the day and put in a couple of
logs when I’m gone for an extended period. A big advantage to my
brother being right across the road is that he’s close and I trust
him with the keys. With the stove cold, I used up some propane and
lit the gas stove with a match. Mac and cheese for dinner may not
be very nourishing, but it was hot and quieted my grumbling
stomach.
    More news from the disaster zones today....
Tent cities are going up all around the East Coast, trying to
shelter the victims from the hurricane. With the nor’easter that
hit right after the earthquakes, it seems to be a losing battle for
FEMA and the Red Cross. People