So sorry to hear of your family’s home. I can certainly identify on the toll it takes to be without basic power. We had water but had no electricity (and no generator!) for 10 days. We were about to lose what was left of our sanity when some of my colleagues, who had gotten their power back, lent us their camper trailer and a generator. As it turned out, we only used it for one night since our power came back on 9/11. I don’t think we would have lasted one more night - truly!!
Damage to the parents’ home was minimal, thank goodness, but they still haven’t gotten back home. They found out power was back, but then stopped at Jackson, Miss., because of Ike.