The Light That Never Flickers

In 2012, a massive derecho storm tore across the mid-Atlantic states, leaving nearly four million homes without power. In Reston, Virginia, a family huddled in their sweltering house for five days, watching the streetlights blink on and off as repair crews struggled with the overwhelmed grid. One moment the air conditioning hummed back to life. The next, darkness again. The children learned not to trust the light switch — it had become unreliable, a thing that promised and then withdrew.…