Power went off at 3:20 p.m. Sunday.

Still off at 7:00 a.m. Monday and Appalachian Power ways they are still “assessing condition.”

Assessing?  Thousands of customers have no power.  That’s the condition.

Fortunately, we have an automatic whole-house generator that kicks in when such things happen, so we have heat, lights and hot water but the same is not true for many who have been in the dark and cold for more than 15 hours.

This is the second lengthy of the current season.  The last one lasted more than a week for most of us.  Clark topped off our propane tank earlier this year and service to our generator should keep it pumping out the kilowatts until APCo finishes “assessing” and, hopefully, starts fixing the problem.

Mother Nature is not helping.  The high wind warning that kept the area windy this weekend is now a “gale force” warning that extends from the Chesapeake Bay inward to the mountains of Southwestern Virginia.

Nationally, more than 408,000 remain powerless, Interstate highways are closed and  more than 1,000 airline flights remain on the ground.

The National Weather Service Office in Blacksburg put out this warning:

HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON EST TODAY… * Winds…West 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. * Timing…Through this morning, especially at the higher elevations. * Impacts…Tree limbs will be blown down. Trees in waterlogged soil will topple over, increasing the potential for power outages. Driving high profile vehicles will be very difficult. * Locations…Along and west of the Blue Ridge. * Hazards…Strong wind gusts PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS… A High Wind Warning means a hazardous high wind event is expected or occurring. Sustained wind speeds of at least 40 mph or gusts of 58 mph are likely to cause power outages…fallen trees… property damage…and dangerous driving conditions for high profile vehicles. Move unfastened items…such as garbage cans and deck furniture…indoors.

A drive through Floyd late Sunday afternoon showed several stores dark.  Pizza Inn had generator power.

A jury trial for a Floyd man charged with multiple counts of possession of child pornography along with drug counts and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon is scheduled to start Monday morning.  The county courthouse has generators but we can’t be sure about members of the jury.  The defendant insists of representing himself without a lawyer so the power situation is not the only monkey wrench is this legal situation.

What a long, strange day this could be.