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Sunday, July 1, 2012

Blackout? How to be prepared.

the house next door didn't fare so well
This is fascinating. The DC area suffered a massive wind and lightning storm, as close to a tornado as I've ever witnessed. Terrified by the incessant banging of branches on the house, I ran outside to the park to get a better perspective. The sight was truly epic. Blue and Pink and White lightning, howling winds, massive trees swaying 30' in either direction as the winds tore through them. I'd never witnessed colored lightning before, and the gale force winds were so strong that I momentarily wondered if this was in fact a nuclear incident.

So now, PepCo is telling residents that it will be 4 to 5 days before power is restored. In a first world country... the nation's capitol, no less! Amazingly, or perhaps naturally, all the prime commercial locations are online, with massive diesel generators. So the mall is air conditioned and online, but none of the traffic lights work. Amazing. And so it goes that I find myself at the Mall, along with hundreds of other refugees, chilling out by a working power outlet, charging my arsenal of Apple devices, and availing myself of the gloriously free wifi. All I need now is a haircut, a manicure, and a sultry waitress bringing me an ice cold beer.

In all, I like the effects of the power outage. It brings people out of their shells, bonds them in a common struggle, and opens up channels of support and communication. I've found many more people out of their homes, and the whole situation at the traffic lights, massive intersections with only courtesy to guide them, both fascinates and delights.

So for myself, and all of us, I've compiled my "things to make sure you have ready in a blackout".

Enjoy:

General Knowledge:
- It gets darker inside before it gets darker outside, by at least 90 minutes
- It makes a big difference if it's a new moon or a full moon
- Headlamps are the bomb
- ICE IS KEY : ACQUIRE SOME QUICKLY
--- not just for meat / dairy preservation, but almost more importantly, for
- COLD BEVERAGES
- You get up at sunrise. Period. Daylight is precious.
 - Your car is your generator
--- which is a good reason to have a full tank of gas at all times, or in the words of a good friend, always fill up your talk when it goes below half.
- and a good reason to have a car charger for your phone
- if you want to go full bore, get a good 750W inverter at a truck stop. For about $100, you can have normal AC power in your vehicle.
- Batteries are good - new, all sizes AAA to D... and make especially good gifts for neighbors.

Recommendations / Wisdom:
- The hour before sunset is hyper critical::
--- Clean things up and get everything in order
- Before Dark, Know exactly where your essential items are!
--- Flashlight
--- Cellphone
--- Water
--- Glasses
--- Toothbrush
- HAVE A HEADLAMP ON WELL BEFORE DARK

Casual Observations
- not having coffee is a challenge
- It's a little scary at night. Houses seem vulnerable.
- People are generally good and function well in groups
- Major traffic intersections with no stoplights, and everyone gets along... wow.
- People go outside more and socialize more when there is no TV or AC
- It's eerily quiet at night... and pleasantly quiet.
- ...except for the damn generators. Here in suburban DC, it appears that about 3% of houses have gennies. Impressive, actually. Except for the damn noise.
- this is the first time I've been excited to wield my 4-D cell MagLite.
- Various lighting options witnessed throughout the neighborhood:
--- Solar, genie, gas lamps, flashlights, candles. the gas lamps were especially charming.
--- Love the candles... Even in stores!
- People go to sleep at nautical twilight