Wednesday, June 11, 2008

I am sympathetic to companies and individuals who lost business because of recent power outages. But I was unable to conjure up even a modicum of sympathy for the Bethesda family profiled in the June 7 front-page article "Storms' Fury Cut Off Data Lines that Bind." Lacking critical services such as telephone and electrical power is an emergency; not being able to check sports scores on the Internet is not. Here are some lessons to be learned from this non-emergency:

1. Don't wait until the last minute to do your homework. Have a backup plan such as going to the library and getting a book, in case you can't do your research on the Web.

2. Always keep instruction manuals so you know how to operate equipment in your home and office.

3. Keep a battery- or crank-operated radio so you can listen to school closing announcements and otherwise learn what is "going on."

4. Use snail mail to send important forms.

5. Get some perspective on what really matters.

NANCY R. BOWEN

Potomac