The Dark Side of Lights-Out

The last line of yesterday’s post was slightly prophetic as within an hour of writing “while it lasts”, the heavens opened wide in my area of the state; winds blew trees at half-mast, and the power went out in my neighborhood with a silent “see ya’ later.”

I’ve been through numerous power outages, torrential rain storms, a few earthquakes. My MO is normally calm and clear-headed in emergencies. In fact, sensing that something was “in the air” beyond the weather forecaster’s heralding of a weekend storm, I checked the household and car-based emergency kits as I do once a year to replenish dead batteries, upgrade other items as needed….

While doing so, a few gaps in preparedness were noticed, but as they were minor (I thought), the missing items were written on a list for future purchase. Overall I felt reasonably prepared for almost anything other than the end of the world. 

Hah! The Organized Organizer had a rude awakening when the house went dark this time. The new flashlight was not where it was supposed to be. The other flashlights in the house needed new batteries. The battery-powered table lamp’s bulb wasn’t working. Half of the supposedly new and still wrapped in plastic D and C batteries were low on juice. A once very well-stocked shelf of candles was almost empty. Lots of votive candles and holders, but not the paraffin candles that one needs for lengthy periods of power outage.

The emergency kits have candles, of course, but not large enough to light more than a tiny space for perhaps a day at the most. And all the kits have flashlights. It was what was in the house and not functioning that brought the grimace of surprise.

And, most of all for someone like me who loathes being out of touch with the news, every radio station I thought could be depended on for local news were broadcasting sports events. That realization was the zinger. If there are sports events going on when trees fall on power lines; when hillsides are burying homes, then good luck getting information unless you have other communication devices.

Cell phones/Androids/Blackberry’s, et al, are helpful if they are completely charged. Satellite TV isn’t helpful when the wind knocks your dish off the roof. I don’t have a power generator at the moment – that was one of the “missing” items I wrote on the “To Do” list.

Lesson learned? Double check those batteries; don’t assume all of your equipment is functioning when it has been a few years since you last turned on the portable lamp (or something similar). Ropes, hammers, first aid kits are important items for your home and kits….but so is light and information.

All is well today despite more rain, less wind. My high-powered flashlight is back where it was “supposed” to be, and despite a plethora of AA and AAA batteries and votive candles, a trek to the store to fill those gaps is best done sooner than later.