On August 12 we had a power outage. It didn’t make any sense. It was in the cool of a Sunday morning. I think it was the government messing with us somehow. I took it as an opportunity to learn a little bit about the first level of preparedness. These are the simple inconveniences that happen too often but do happen. They are not life threatening unless you are on something like a respirator. They are mainly irritating.
What helps in the little things? For your computers there are battery backups. A laptop is great because it comes with automatic kick in. I found that even in the middle of the day flashlights were helpful. There are many corners that are normally lit by a bulb and go dark without electricity. An unexpected point I realized was to be prepared, doing the work the night before, instead of waiting until the last minute. Keep your freezer full even if it is things that don’t need to be frozen like crackers and cereal. It resists the heat for a longer period of time. Many small appliances like clock radios also have a place for a battery so that you don’t need to reset them. A few battery operated clocks so you don’t lose track of deadlines also help.
No big deal. Common sense. You probably already had them in place without thinking. We can’t do much to prepare for the giant meteor that is going to strike any day now or the earthquake that will destroy life as we know it. We can be ready for life to go smoothly in the little disruptions.
Yes, I do like to preach to the choir.
homo unius libri
The only plug-in clock that we have in the house is my alarm clock, and it has battery back-up. I use it because it has a big old-fashioned light-up dial that serves as a very dim night-light.
ReplyDeleteI imagine the "big" also helps if your eyes are going the way of mine. I have found that cell phones and I-pods also make good emergency lights.
ReplyDeleteGrace and peace.