Massive Blackout Continues in St. Louis

I know Ameren says they are doing the best that they can, and I believe that, but it doesn't negate the fact that many of us smaller community residents can get no help or information on restoration times, progress or plain answers. The media and the many engines that drive it, make is seem as if the numbers they say or report mean much to those still left without power today, 7/25/06. I still have no power and have a disabled mom and child. Where can I go to be heard. I know this is a major catastrophe and my heart goes out to those that are just like myself. Sure I have relatives or friends who might let me bunk with them for this short spell, since many of the larger communities, I guess, have power restored, but I want to go home! Actually living without electricity in the short run is more expensive, because you incur many other expenses not normally accumulated when you don't have electricity.
Well, one way to look at this on the bright side is, because of the condition of the whole teetering system, it's probably best that if it were going to topple it did so this summer. I would have been deadly to have gone through a winter storm with a power outage this massive with no heat. The winds that came and did the damage in my neighborhood would have been nothing compared to the winds on a blustery day in, say, mid-Decemeber, Oh my God. The old structures probably needed reinforcing, fixing, and the tlc it's getting now, but what a way to be reminded, to keep up with the maintenance and tree trimming efforts to avoid this type of thing in the future.

I found it odd that Ameren couldn't give me accurate information about the outage at my home. I could call them from Lake Ozark on Sunday to ask them if I had power before I drove three hours back home. (I ignored the automatic phone messages that said they were not answering calls that day). Ameren told me that I did not have power. When I called a neighbor, I found out that power had been on for over twelve hours. I don't understand that. I wonder if Ameren was making more money routing power to other areas of the country with shortages.

I know Ameren says they are doing the best that they can, and I believe that, but it doesn't negate the fact that many of us smaller community residents can get no help or information on restoration times, progress or plain answers. The media and the many engines that drive it, make is seem as if the numbers they say or report mean much to those still left without power today, 7/25/06. I still have no power and have a disabled mom and child. Where can I go to be heard. I know this is a major catastrophe and my heart goes out to those that are just like myself. Sure I have relatives or friends who might let me bunk with them for this short spell, since many of the larger communities, I guess, have power restored, but I want to go home! Actually living without electricity in the short run is more expensive, because you incur many other expenses not normally accumulated when you don't have electricity.
Well, one way to look at this on the bright side is, because of the condition of the whole teetering system, it's probably best that if it were going to topple it did so this summer. I would have been deadly to have gone through a winter storm with a power outage this massive with no heat. The winds that came and did the damage in my neighborhood would have been nothing compared to the winds on a blustery day in, say, mid-Decemeber, Oh my God. The old structures probably needed reinforcing, fixing, and the tlc it's getting now, but what a way to be reminded, to keep up with the maintenance and tree trimming efforts to avoid this type of thing in the future.