When a snow and ice storm left much of southern Michigan without power in February, Cathy Tervol was at work in a place where electricity isn't just a convenience, it's life-sustaining.
The 73-year-old is a registered nurse at a home in Hillsdale County with special needs and disabled children as young as 5 who rely on medical equipment like feeding pumps, oxygen and ventilators, all of which require electricity.
For nearly a week, Tervol and two other health care workers helped the family get through the power outage. They were fortunate to have a generator to keep everything running for seven days, thanks to a lot of extension cords and propane deliveries every other day. She also lost all the food in her refrigerator in her home in Lenawee County.
