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Community Corner

Were You Ready When The Lights Went Out?

A night when stars filled the Lemon Grove sky.

Just like earthquakes, it was location and preparedness that determined your experience during last week’s massive power outage. If you were stuck in a situation beyond your control, it was likely not that much fun. The 3:30 p.m. timing could not have been worse, right at the start of rush hour. For many people, just getting home was a big headache. Add no gas or cash, and it became a major migraine.

Luckily, I was safely at home that afternoon when the power clicked off. After taking a look at the breaker box—and noticing neighbors doing the same—it became clear that this power outage might be a little bigger than just me. A check of news sources on the smartphone revealed that this could be a long night.

A quick assessment of what was in the house found pluses and minuses in my preparedness for life without electricity. To the good, there were flashlights with extra batteries, a battery-powered lantern and a propane lantern (very handy), candles, matches, enough food and water for a day or two, plenty of ice in the freezer, and—thankfully—I had bought some wine that morning.

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No battery-operated radio could be found. I did locate an old cell phone that had enough of a charge to use the radio mode to check for periodic news updates. Nice job, KFMB 760 radio!

The big minus was no charcoal to grill the skewers of marinated chicken, eggplant, and potatoes for dinner. There was no way I would be headed out to try to buy a sack of briquettes. A flashlight led me to some (hopefully) unvarnished small pieces of lumber in the garage. Hatchet in hand, I chopped them into sticks and got cooking. The meal and the wine were just fine—a lovely quiet evening.

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There was one casualty at my house that night—a nearly full quart of peach ice cream in the freezer had to be put out of its misery.

This time I was very lucky, but it was a wake-up call. Everyone needs a preparedness plan in place. A great site for information on that is Ready San Diego.

Here are three purchases I am thinking of making: a hand-crank/solar radio, an LED head lamp, and a battery pack with plug-ins.

I was struck by just how much our society depends on being plugged in to the grid. We are incredibly vulnerable without power. We flat out take it for granted. During the blackout, how many times did you still flip the light switch when walking into a dark room?

The nearly full moon was amazing that night. That many stars had not shown in the Grove’s sky since the town first installed electricity.

The lights will go out again. Here is hoping you will be reaping preparedness dividends next time.

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