Panera saves the day!

Unless you live under a rock, you heard about the devastating storm that took place across the country this past weekend. Central Ohio was one of the hardest hit. I personally lost power at my place from Friday evening through Tuesday afternoon. My facts are probably incorrect, but I heard that there was over 500,000 without power in the Central Ohio region. Many still are without power.

The storm hit rather unexpectedly. I was getting ready for a fun evening out with friends and family to watch my favorite local band (Conspiracy Band). As I was searching for the perfect outfit to wear, the sky turned ominous, winds started picking up, and soon the power went out. I grabbed my dog Boomer and we sought shelter in an interior room. I thought a tornado was imminent.  Thanks to my lack of planning for severe weather, I had no way to confirm my suspicions.

Boomer during the storm. Note the Yuengling Light bottles on the table.

Eventually the storm passed. I was left without power, so naturally, I decided to meet everyone as planned and drink/dance my worries away. The band was amazing, as usual. I arrived back at my place several hours later, still without power. As luck would have it, I had zero trouble falling asleep that night. I awoke around 8:30 the next morning to my friend/neighbor (Amy) calling me to discuss the power outage.

We decided to walk around the neighborhood to assess the situation. Needless to say, it was a mess. Trees and power lines were down everywhere. Considering the facts that: A) Amy is 8 + months pregnant B) Amy was pushing her 1 year old son, and C) I was walking my dog...it probably wasn't the safest decision to stroll around the neighborhood. But no one ever claimed we were the smartest.

It was going to be another hot day and our power coming on seemed like a long shot. The next logical step was to pick up some Panera and eat it poolside.

I volunteered to pick up the Panera to-go. It was probably 10AM at this point. As I pulled into the Bethel Road Panera, my jaw dropped. The parking lot was packed and people were literally standing in line outside of the store to get in! Wow.

The parking lot was packed. Also the only photo I took. Big mistake. Huge.

Surprisingly the line moved relatively quickly. As to be expected, the line was filled with chatter about the storm and every one's experiences. Lots of talk about the most recent AEP report that power would not be restored for 5-7 days.

Everyone that day found themselves in an unexpected and uncomfortable predicament. The employees at Panera certainly had no idea what they would be facing on that Saturday morning. Certainly that had to have been the BUSIEST Saturday ever for that particular Panera. I commend the Bethel Road Panera for staying cool in a time of panic. I guess they really followed their corporate slogan: "Make today better"

ITEMS ORDERED:
Me: Chicken Salad Sandwich, Chips, Large Unsweet Tea/Acai Tea mix. Yum.
Amy: Sierra Turkey and chips

Random NOTES:

• Generators. I'm buying one. And not just a little one. I am getting a good one. Well not anytime soon. But I probably should.
• Radio. I'm buying an emergency radio. That will happen soon.
• Pool. Who decides to go to the pool after a hurricane like storm hits? Answer: Idiots. For whatever reason going to the pool sounded like a good decision. We brought the Panera back to the pool, only to discover the entire pool and kiddie pool was filled with debris and elements from the storm. Duh.

Example of the devastation. This was a billboard.