Brenda Piazza

To the editor:A Madison woman generously rescued my family during the recent ice storm. There were two women (including myself) and my two young children in the car. It was 9 p.m. when we left the restaurant to return to my friends home. The light rain became heavier and froze immediately as it hit the road. The thick layer of ice that formed on the road brought us to a halt. We called 911 for help, but we were told the conditions were the same every where, and the sanders were treating all main roads first. We were on a secondary road. It was unlikely that help would arrive that night. I was concerned about my children. The conditions for walking on the ice were dangerous also. At 11 p.m. my friend called an acquaintance that lived nearby to see if she could help in anyway. This woman gathered all the supplies needed to safely bring us back to her home for shelter. In the pouring rain, with grippers on her feet and many supplies, she began her midnight trek to our location. Once she arrived, my children were bundled in emergency blankets on a sled. All adults were wearing the snowshoes brought to us, and ropes secured the sled. After small deliberate steps to prevent us from falling, we arrived at Emilie Riss home at 2:15 a.m. Emilie had dry clothing, a hot drink and a bed for each of us. We were blessed that cold, icy night with the help of a caring person from your community. A message from my two little girls, Thank you Mrs. Riss for saving us from the bad storm.