Sunday, December 17, 2006

64 hours without electricity and water

The power at my house went out at about 8 pm Thursday night and came back on today about noon------64 hours, give or take a few minutes, without electricity or water, since I'm on a well. That was quite a stretch, longer than I've ever had to endure. Yesterday morning, after a second night under two down comforters and two cats, I decided to find respite housing and called friends who had gotten their power back sooner.

I packed up the cats, a change of clothes, and the Christmas turkey which was starting to thaw and moved over to my friends the Bingmans, invited to spend as long as necessary till the power came back. We had a good time, but I'm glad to be home.

I'll write more later. For now, I'm just relieved to be warm and clean!

4 comments:

LinguistFriend said...

Well, I was wondering about what your situation was as the reports of PNW storms came in. So about that backup generator. . .
LinguistFriend

Lilylou said...

Yes, I'm thinking about that backup generator too, LF. Though it's a big expense and I'm not sure it's worth it, especially if I don't stay in this house a long time (I rent, rather than own). If I owned this house, I would install propane rather than oil heat, put in a gas fired stove with the ability to heat the room, and a gas range. Light is manageable; warmth is not so easy.
But it was a remarkable event. To be dependent on the kindness of friends, to experience the paralyzing deprivation of warmth and light, to feel so vulnerable-------that was a valuable experience, even though uncomfortable as the dickens.

LinguistFriend said...

In that case, it is likely that there is a second-hand market. The people who install things (I would guess, in this case, the electrician) usually know about such things; it is to their advantage to inform you, so they can install it. Newspaper ads are pretty much replaced by the Internet resources, but may help. Or e-Bay, but I would think that shipping may be an issue. I see that Consumer Reports reviewed generators in Nov. 2003, starting on p.42, which would help to see which are the good manufacturers. You may have reviewed many alternatives already, but I have the impression that you are still finding your way in that locale, despite your background in the PNW.
LinguistFriend

Lilylou said...

I'm probably not going to get a generator, not even second-hand. The fuel to run it is polluting, the noise it makes is annoying, and it's expensive. I don't think it's worth the effort, though I am tempted.

But I do think it would make sense to set up a system within the congregation to reach out to people who don't have power and give them places to go to find shelter with other congregants. That seems like a positive thing to do.