The Bangor Public Library’s Children’s Department has been a real help for Paige Fairbanks, Sam Woodman, and their three kids during this week’s power problems. They came back to Maine from Arizona on December 14 and, in just three days, faced the chilly Maine weather without electricity.
As of Thursday afternoon, they still had no power. Sam Woodman expressed gratitude for the library’s warmth, saying, “We’re very thankful the library has heat or we’d be shivering in the cold.”
While some folks in Maine can manage with generators and wood stoves, Fairbanks and Woodman’s situation shows how tough it is for those without resources or familiarity with the area to endure days without heat and electricity.
Although Woodman and Fairbanks grew up in Maine, their oldest child, Jackson, was just a baby when they moved to Arizona, so he doesn’t remember the cold. Their younger two children were born in Arizona and have never experienced such cold weather.
The short walk to the library from their place left the kids freezing on Thursday morning. Fairbanks mentioned, “They’ve never experienced cold like this. They didn’t even like walking here.”
Thursday was their second day spending time at the library’s third floor, where they played with toys, games, and read books in the warm building. It was busier on Wednesday, but by Thursday, more families had power back at home.
If they still have no power, the family plans to return to the library on Friday. They went grocery shopping on December 15, spending about $150 of food stamps, but much of it had to be thrown away after the power outage, putting financial strain on them.
People using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program can get reimbursed for food lost during power outages, but the family hadn’t transferred their food stamps from Arizona to Maine yet, partly because of the power situation.
Due to their lack of cooking facilities, the kids have been eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and ham sandwiches. Sam Woodman resorted to eating a previously frozen uncooked burrito, which wasn’t ideal for the kids.
Fairbanks had experienced shorter power outages growing up in Pittsfield, Maine, but nothing like this extended one. In Arizona, they only dealt with brief outages.
The absence of warming centers with showers in Bangor has been frustrating. It’s been four days since they’ve been able to shower, and they’re reluctant to take their kids to homeless shelters, which are the warming centers they know of.
The lack of resources and seemingly ignoring families with kids during the outages has been frustrating for Woodman and Fairbanks. Woodman noted, “If it wasn’t for the kids, I probably wouldn’t be complaining like this.”
Their landlord said power would likely be restored by Friday, but it’s not guaranteed. They might have to endure another cold night, with temperatures dropping to 14 degrees according to the National Weather Service.
Fairbanks summed it up, saying, “We’re out of luck if we don’t get power back.”
Reimagined By Aibo T.
DISCLAIMER: Author is under many pen names. This article was rewritten based on these links: This family of 5 moved to Maine from Arizona a week ago and lost power days later (bangordailynews.com)
