Power tends to go out when you need it most.
This week much of mid-America has depended on power to stay alive during the Polar Vortex that has put us under Antarctican conditions.
I was told yesterday that several thousand people not far away lost electricity for some reason and I wonder how they managed to stay alive.
This cold weather event is not accompanied by violence of any kind, which increases the odds of survival.
As usual, I spoke with a family member about preparing for the day when everything breaks down. She said she didn't want to deal with a gasoline generator and I share that view because storing gasoline is a management problem so we talked about natural gas, which seems like a smart way to go since the pipes are installed.
What I see is a bare-bones setup where only enough power backup kicks on to sustain life. In the winter this would be enough electricity to keep the furnace blower running.
Of course an earthquake might turn the gas lines into a bomb, and I once considered having all gas disconnected and removed from the property, but around us are many potential bombs known as the neighbor's gas pipes.
When a tornado rips the house off its foundation we'll be able to say that we discussed an emergency plan.
Keeping the part 15 station on the air is not part of the plan.
No power in cold like this can be just as bad as another disaster like a hurricane or earthquake or whatever when it comes to survival. What back up plan could you have if you don't have a gas or wood fireplace. How long was the power out for?
By the weekend it should be back to more livable conditions.
But one thing good about the cold is that all the bad things like alligators, poisonous snakes, spiders, plants, etc stay down there and can't survive the cold....good for us as we in the north US and Canada can enjoy summer and swim in a lake and not worry about an alligator looking for lunch! A month or two of cold and freeze up is a blessing.
As long as the power stays on!
Power Grid and Grit
Question asked: "How long was the power out for?"
The power here at KDX was not out, but the outage I mentioned was a nearby sub-division.
I was curious to find out how long their power was out but found no mention on the local newspaper's website. I only knew about it because a relative told me... she watches TV news.
If my power goes out during a deep-freeze I will get underneath every blanket in the house which might be good enough if the pipes don't burst.
Now the temperature is climbing and we'll have a nice enough week coming up to spend time outdoors.
Energy Shortage
Who would've thunk?
Parts of Minneapolis experienced a natural gas shortage and customers were asked to reduce use.