Letter to the editor: Thank you to Sumter for sacrifices while line workers help in Texas

Please allow me to write with deep gratitude to the many families of your community that are making do with one less important adult in their homes for the time being.

For four days, I have watched as Sumter Utilities trucks have lumbered through my suburban neighborhood north of Houston in the wake of Hurricane Beryl. While we Houstonians are frustrated with our energy provider, we are overjoyed and thankful to see these South Carolinian trucks and license plates on our streets!

As a high school AP U.S. History teacher in downtown Houston, my first thought when seeing Sumter Utilities of course went to Fort Sumter, and I initially was only slightly disappointed to realize that Sumter, South Carolina, was not as familiar to me as I presumed. Of course I immediately confirmed that your town is also named after the Revolutionary War leader. However, in doing this research, I realized how much more grateful I can be that YOUR workers are here to help in our community.

First, the people of South Carolina know hurricanes like we do. You know how devastating they can be, and you ALSO know, quite intimately, how HOT and HUMID it gets in our parts because it isn't that much different in South Carolina! As I dug deeper, however, I recognized how fortunate we were to have your line people and field workers in our little neck of the woods.

While I work in downtown Houston, I live in the Atascocita/Kingwood area. We are a far northeastern suburb that exists at the southwestern edge of what we call the "Piney Woods" of East Texas. It is a very different ecosystem than the majority of the Houston area. Much like the environment protected in your Congaree National Park, we too have hardwood bottom lands and are further surrounded by loblolly and a few remaining longleaf pines. In fact, I have volunteered and worked over a summer at our National Park Service site, Big Thicket National Preserve, which is about as far from me as Congaree National Park is to Sumter. The pictures of our UNESCO labeled Biosphere Reserve at Big Thicket look quite similar to yours at Congaree. Our vegetation is actually quite different than what is found in the majority of the Houston area, but your gracious line workers know exactly what we are dealing with here. The huge uprooted and felled loblolly pine that I am grieving this week across my front yard would be right at home in your area. The trees that are on our lines, leaving us without electricity in July in Texas, are the trees your service people recognize. They also know how miserable we are without our air conditioning.

Today, I had to attend some professional development downtown, and left my home early this morning. As I was waiting patiently at several intersections without working traffic lights, truck after truck after truck with Sumter Utilities passed by, ready to get back to work again on Day 7. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank your community for your sacrifice. I know how hard this week is for many of your families who have one less caregiver to help out at home during the summer while school is out and the days are long. We are so grateful to the Sumter Utilities workers who are here with us, some probably staying in hotels without power, but I am equally grateful to those of you who are managing all the chores and caregiving back in South Carolina.

Thank you from Atascocita, Texas.

JENNIFER LANKAU CHASE

Houston, Texas