Yesterday afternoon, we spent an hour without power. It flickered on and off three times (the number of times the circuit tries to reset itself, according to Hubs, before it gives up so it doesn't start a fire or damage the equipment). Then it went out entirely. Which kind of sucked, but not really hard.
Like I said, it was only out an hour. And it was still light out, albeit gloomy. As soon as it went out, I shut the computers down to save battery power. Then I grabbed the battery-powered lantern and set it in the office. Then I shut my battery backup off, just in case the outage lasted long and we needed that battery for coffee tomorrow morning. Hey, a gal has to have her priorities.
I usually light candles, but like I said, it was still light out, so I just grabbed flashlights and placed them strategically around so they would be handy if we needed them. I plugged in the old corded phone so we'd have communications. Called the power company from it because if I don't, no one else will. Then we took up residence in the living room where Hubs napped in the chair and I read on my Kindle. (It was light out, but not light enough to read a hardcopy book without eye strain.)
About 50 minutes in, I went out onto the sun porch to have a cigarette, which gave me a chance to check the batteries in our radio out there. Still going strong. I rolled up and down the dial until I found the station closest in proximity to the house. It's country station, but I lived. I was listening for weather reports, not entertainment.
Halfway through my smoke, I heard the mini-fridge out there kick on and saw a reflection of the office lights in the sun porch windows, so I knew we were through the outage.
Changed all the clocks. Hubs turned the dryer back on. The computers and battery back up were turned back on. Reset the answering machine (although I was too lazy to reset the time, so it's still an hour off.) Collected all the flashlights and put them back in their staging areas throughout the house. All was well at the time of typing this post last evening - even though it sounded like another storm was rolling in.
Kind of screwed up my plans for dinner. We were without power through what would've been my preheat and baking time. I had a sandwich and fresh fruit. Not as awesome as my salsa chicken, but it was good.
So, here are the questions you've all read far enough to find: Do you have a plan for emergencies? Battery backup? Flashlights or candles? Something to keep yourself amused? What would you do if you lost power for a day or more?
I've been without power for over a week a couple of times due to ice storms. One of these days, we'll by a generator. As it was, we borrowed the BiL's to run the fridg. Heat is natural gas but the central heaters needs electricity. We have wall-mounted gas heaters that keep the house toasty warm. The stove is gas. All I need is a match to cook. We have battery lanterns stashed in every room. I also have adapters to charge everything electronic in the car. Radios are battery plus one that's a crank.
ReplyDeleteCan you tell we live in storm central? LOL
After the safety precautions go into effect and I can "relax," I pull out the paperbacks or the Kindle, or audio books. And I nap. A lot. I write in a notebook for transcription when the power is back and computers are available.
Smart lady. I figured you'd be well prepared for gross weather.
DeleteOur record without power and water has been 3 weeks. Strangely enough you get used to living without things, especially when everyone around you is in the same boat.
ReplyDeleteWe managed with a generator. We bought water until the city could take over. Since we were recovering from a major hurricane, every waking moment was spent gathering debris and cleaning house. The freezers and the fridge had to be emptied and disinfected, and then left open, until power was restored.
When it was too dark to see I just crashed. The one thing I remember most was that I was usually too tired to eat. Nothing tasted good and I would've paid big money for something fresh.