“The power is out and I’m getting very cold.”
That was the message that spurred a worried son to visit his mother in the midst of a frigid winter storm, and led to a major community effort to help vulnerable residents make it through the worst of freezing temperatures and blackouts relatively unscathed.
Chris Smith ventured through the howling winds and navigated treacherous roads Saturday, Jan. 13, to get to Courtyard Fountains, 1545 S.E. 223rd Ave. He was there to check on his mom, as were several other loved ones. The senior living facility had gone dark — an outage struck the entire neighborhood, and one of the backup generators had failed. That left many, including Smiths mother, getting colder and colder.
“I quickly learned how overwhelmed Courtyard Fountains was with the situation,” he said. “They were already short-staffed, and it was worse with the weather.”
Smith made it to his mom’s room via flashlight through the dark hallways and stairwells. He made sure she was safe, and bundled her up with extra blanket. Then he started checking on others on the floor.