Generator Warms Nearly 50 Animals in Cabot Shelter

Lena Rickman has a secret. You see, while all her neighbors shiver and wait for the power to come back on in Cabot, "None of them have power." Rickman said. "We do."

Rickman's home is an island of energy. We asked how she managed to stay on, when everyone else was lights out.

"God loves us," Rickman said, laughing.

It must have been an act of divine intervention that kept Rickman's power on during a storm that snapped trees like matchsticks, and toppled a transformer on Lincoln Street. The downed pole was still in the road Thursday morning.

"They need to come fix it," Rickman said. "They need to move it. Entergy needs to do something.

Cabot Mayor Bill Cypert says some 20,000 people in the area didn't have power Thursday morning. And if you think being the mayor gives you some pull with the power company, think again.

"Quite frankly, they can't tell us a lot," Cypert said. "They're apparently just overwhelmed."

Down the road, dogs at the city animal shelter have something to wag their tails about. After going for nearly an entire day without power, the shelter received a portable generator from the city, breathing some life into those cold puppy noses.

Animal Services Manager Mike Wheeler says the shelter was making plans to move the animals to warmer spaces, but with the generator and a butane warmer cranking out the heat, things were finally looking up.