Hurricane Gustav and the Kindle
September 12, 2008
Susan, an ardent Kindle user, comes from a Kindle-owning family. Her husband, at 85 years old, loves his Kindle. Both her brother and daughter have Kindles, and are constant readers. Her sister-in-law has Parkinson's disease, but now that she has a Kindle, she can hold her "book" and read once again. Consequently, they are huge fans of the Kindle but little did they realize what effect the device would have on their lives--and in a most unexpected way.
Susan and seven members of her family (along with eight cats and three dogs) were forced to evacuate as Hurricane Gustav approached. Finding a motel, they waited out the storm until they were allowed to return to their home. But the motel (dubbed Motel Hell by Susan) was lacking in some crucial services. She wrote us:
"I wanted to let you know just how much the experimental part of my Kindle helped my family and I. We evacuated from Houma, Louisiana--ground zero for Hurricane Gustav--to Minden, Louisiana. Our wireless internet service was not working at the motel. I used my handy dandy Kindle to access the parish emergency web site and our local newspaper web site, so we would be able to know when we could return home.
"What a relief to know I could depend on the Kindle to get the emergency info we needed. This feature was a real life saver and I hope you continue to have it as a part of the Kindle service."
Susan and her family have since returned to their home in Terrebonne Parish. They were relieved to find little harmed at their house--a few missing shingles, a damaged garage door and a fence that was blown down.
In spite of the ordeal of Hurricane Gustav, most things in Susan's life have changed very little. In her last e-mail to us, she writes, "My husband still has his nose buried in his Kindle."
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