Power outages and chronically ill people—a disaster or merely an annoyance? The difference? Advance planning. I must be a slow learner because I wrote about this in June 2020 but did not put my advice into action. (Or the steps in the post in December 2015.)
So, this led to problems the other night.
The incident
A beautiful snowy day. Eight inches already and still snowing.
From our cozy chairs, Joe and I watched TV that evening. Suddenly, all the lights went out! Uh-oh. We knew what happened, although hope surfaced as the lights flickered. But that was not to be, as the electricity went out again and stayed out. Probably a heavily laden, snowy branch brought down a power line.
Living in the Pacific Northwest, a power outage is always possible, especially in the winter. In fact, about five years ago, our electricity stayed out for three days. Now, that was bad!
First need, light. Find flashlights and candles. Second, heat. Bring in portable propane heater. Third, warm clothing. Fourth, call utility company for estimated repair time. Good plans, right?
What went not-so-right
Before finding candles, we needed flashlights, which we spotted reasonably easily. The candles were where we thought, thankfully. Joe also found oil lamps and lamp oil. However, we discovered smoke alarms did not like lamp oil smoke! Our alarms ran down before we could get them turned off. Joe had trouble locating the ladder needed to reach the alarms in our 9-foot ceilings!
We skipped to the fourth item but remembered we could not call from our home phone; I didn’t think I had the utility’s number on my cell (I found out later I did). Naturally, my Wi-Fi did not work, and I forgot how to use the cell’s Internet. So, I called our son who looked up the expected time and discovered it would only be about three hours. Yay! Then, Joe went to the garage to find the heater, as I was unsuccessfully trying to find my warm clothes.
Surprise! A very pleasant one! Our lights came back on in an hour–about the time Joe brought the heater in. But if our power had been out overnight, things would have been different because I need electricity for my BiPAP.
I will admit we have been very blessed not to lose electricity more often. Maybe that’s why we got complacent.
But what about you? Have you been through a similar incident? Have you evaluated and made changes?
As chronically ill people, it is crucial to think about power outages. They can occur any time of the year and can even last for weeks. Ideally, we have plans in place to cope.
We must evaluate what went wrong or consider what might go wrong. Then we need to decide what we can change.
Evaluate
What went wrong
- A flashlight was not easily accessible.
- I was not up to date on cell usage.
- We did not realize the lamp oil smoke would set off our smoke alarms.
- Our ladder was not handy to reach the alarms.
- My cold-weather clothes were outside in the car.
- I did not have alternative power for the BiPAP.
What went right
- We could reach our utility company.
- Joe could easily locate our propane heater.
- We had plenty of propane for it.
- Our son offered us a place to stay if we needed it.
- My cell was charged.
Changes to make
- A flashlight needs to be kept close by.
- The ladder should be stored closer.
- Keep cold-weather clothes inside.
- We need an alternative method to run the BiPAP.
- Learn to use my cell better.
Resources for change
- Check with my BiPAP company for possible alternatives.
- A potential problem in a power outage is charging phones and laptops. Check this for ideas.
This is our experience, how we managed it, and how we can do better.
Concluding Thoughts
How about you? Do you have a plan in place for when your lights go out?
Your input
Do you have ideas to add?
Comment
Teresa, from my Facebook group left this comment. More ideas for you.
One year, we lost power for 5 days after a major ice storm. Here are a few more tips.
- 1) Make sure you have propane for your outside grill. This will be your stove.
- 2) If you have gas logs, check for a grate that’s above the opening. We can pull that grate off and the top of the box will be exposed. In our case, there is room to slide a small pot of water on top of the box. That’s how we made coffee!
- 3) We put a mattress in front of the gas logs and that’s where we slept.
- 4) Do not open refrigerator or freezer!! If you need something, think about where the item is. Then quickly open, grab, and close!
- 5) We recently purchased a large LED lantern that runs on batteries. You can also charge it with a USB cable. Charge it a day before bad weather hits. This lantern will also charge your cell phone!! And it was only $20 US
This was definitely interesting to read your perspective on. I’ve never had to experience a power outage in the winter, but I can imagine how distressing it could be during snowy weather – especially concerning your BiPAP. I’m glad your power wasn’t out for too long!
Thanks. It was scary thinking about “What if” it was out overnight. I’m not handling cold as well this year. Might have to seek out shelter.
I am the same way. I know that we have to be ready, but I have yet to get all the supplies and to have them handy. You’d think that I would- but with all the busyness in the world, it’s just too easy to put it off. Thank you for your post. It reminds us that we have to get ready and be ready.
Thanks for the thoughts.
Glad to hear this outage didn’t last very long! Sounds like you are really thinking things through and planning ahead now.
We almost never lost power for the first 25 years we lived here – we used to brag about our stable our power was in our neighborhood. Then the power company made a change last winter, and we began losing power frequently and for hours or days at a time. The worst was in the hottest days of summer last year, with temps in the 90’s, when our power was out for 6 days!! Luckily, a phone call and letter-writing campaign got the power company to switch us back to the way it used to be. As for prep, we love to camp, so we have lots of coolers, LED lanterns, etc. We bought a gas grill with a stove burner on the side, so we cook on that when the power goes out. And though they were mostly sold out that week in the summer, my husband DID finally find a generator to buy, so we could at least run fans and WiFi (priorities, right?). We did lose power for a few hours once this winter, but it’s easier to get warm than to keep cool in the summer – we built a nice fire in the fireplace, boiled water for tea on the gas grill burner, and settled in.
Glad you got through that OK and are prepared for next time!
Sue
Live with ME/CFS
Interesting! Glad the power company changed back!
BTW, Our power went out AGAIN this week. Only 2 hrs.
Had some warning (high winds expected), so we learned and got prepared! Went better.
It wasn’t until I had a power cut a few months ago and woke up in shock struggling to get my breath that I considered how distressing it would be to not have my Bipap. I now have a battery pack that can be attached in emergencies.
I’ve been thinking I need to get one, but I’m thinking they’re expensive. But if power was off at night, I think I’d really be wishing I got one!
We live in an area (Rural, northern
Michigan) where power outage is a common thing. Luckily in our newer development, we haven’t had it as often as those around us. But we are semi prepared. Hiking lights, cook stoves and battery charger. We have frozen gallons of water in our freezer to help keep cold and to use for drinking. But the big deal is a generator hardwired. That came from lessens learned the hard way. Oh, and we fill up our tub and sinks for water to flush the toilets, but also have a camping toilet if needed😉
Thanks for all these great ideas. As to water, I guess you’re on a well. My in-laws used to do that–fill up everything they could because without electricity the pump doesn’t work.
Those are all good tips! I’m glad y’all’s power wasn’t out for too long.
We don’t really have a specific plan for extended power outages. We keep plenty of batteries on hand, and I have emergency candles that I can get to easily. We have a propane powered griddle, so cooking wouldn’t be an issue. We live in Louisiana, so cold isn’t usually a concern, but if it’s the middle of summer and a hurricane takes power out, it’s going to be hot. Not much to be done for that. We keep bottled water on hand, too., and a stash of emergency food/snacks that we rotate out periodically. Wait, maybe we do have a plan. Goals: a gas-powered generator, preferably whole house.
Good plan. I guess when your power goes out, you might have more than just a power outage to deal with. Good luck to you and your family.