Our Electricity Supply people are going on strike about a week before Christmas,..talks are in progress but the government are not giving in,..no extra pay,..sooooo it looks like we will have no power,..heaven help people who have no alternative power or those on medical equipment at home,..hospitals will have generators of course and some folks have them as well,..as for little ole me the only worry i would have is my two heated aquariums but bottles of hot water submerged will suffice. No problem for heating as i have a log fire and a kerosene heater,..cooking will be fine as well with my camp gas cookers and gas light which is equal to an 80W bulb,..battery operated radios and lots of books to read in case i get cabin fever from having no internet connection,..the laptop battery will run out fairly quick . How would everyone here in the Stew cope under those circumstances?
Oh Philip... I do hope they resolve the issue before it comes to this. Surely they realize they are putting lives in jeopardy by turning off the electricity. And not just in winter... but any time of year. There's too many electric companies here and too much competition among them for me to ever think this would happen here (fingers crossed). With all of the natural disasters and bad weather around the world lately, I would hope that humans wouldn't add to the suffering. I'm glad to hear that you have alternative means in place to weather this type of "storm".
We have wood heat and propane backups for cooking and additional heat. It is not uncommon for the power to go out for a few days from winter storms. Some people have back up generators, I know my brother had one hooked up to be able to switch over to after one really long outage. We just grit our teeth and bare it, but I would like a couple more skylights added for additional natural light during the day. A dark house during the short cloudy days of winter is rather depressing.
We keep a good stock of candles handy and have a gas hob so heating water and cooking aren't a problem. We have calor gas camping stoves we can use if the power goes out too. I feel sorry for older people who have no alternative heat source when their electricity is cut off and have no means of making even a cup of tea. Also young mums who have to heat bottles for their babies and those, as you say Philip, who have medical equipment at home. I hope they all telephone the electric company before the cut off date and explain their circumstances. Some companies will leave the most vulnerable in society with power even during a strike. Let's hope yours is one of them.
We have a wood burning furnace to heat the house so that is our primary heat, but we need electricity for the fan. So, a few years ago I had a cousin who was an electrician, came and rewired the breaker box to support a generator in the event of a total power outage.That would run a refrigerator a few lights, the woodburner fan.... We could cook on the grill. I do a lot of canning so there is plenty in the pantry for quite a while.
We can heat our house. have gas heaters with no fans and gas cook stoves. But do medical reason that would causes me concern . But if my love one died because someone cut their lights off in winter. Would be looking for good lawyer. Or my congress man .
When we lived in upstate NY, we had an ice storm and were without electricity for three days, then on-and-off for several more. Luckily, we lived in a 19th century house with a fireplace! We heated with it, slept in the parlor, and cooked on the hearth. Since moving to the farm we have had only one outage of any length, and we heated with the wood burning stove, and I cooked on top of it. We have elderly neighbors that I call twice a day, but they are prepared (probably better than we are) for emergencies. It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a neighborhood to get through a power outage!
We would handle it pretty much like we prepared for this winter ice storm...candles, oil lamps,we have a gas cook stove that we can light for cooking and heat, plenty of food in the pantry and freezer..and yes I know the freezer wouldn't work without electricity but the food will stay frozen long enough to cook and eat when needed. In our case we can bag up some of the ice outside and keep the food cold with that. Our electricity companies (and the gas company) are all privately owned and they must get paid well, I have never heard of one threatening to go on strike. Hope all involved come to their senses and work together before regular people have to suffer.
I asked minister. Here In Iowa against law to shut off power with medical problem. And if below certain temp.
We would be ok for about three months. We have a ventless gas heater, cordwood stacked on the back porch, packed freezers, packed fruit cellar, gas stove and a generator that can be switched into the house wiring. I will be able to run my oxygen concentrator and be on the net.
We were without power for several days a few years ago due to an ice storm.We can cook on woodstove if necessary.Main problem would be no water but if forewarned we could save some water.We hooked scanner up to battery power to keep up with things.My main concern would be no internet,big time.I need to get a charger for my cell phone that I can plug in the car. sewNsow
Interesting post Philip, especially as winter is upon us in the northern hemisphere. We have been without power many times in the last 10 years of so. One time lasted over a week. That got very old. It has happened often enough that our town actually responds well: the town opens up the high school for residents to shower, come have a hot meal & sleep if need be. Our Senior services dept has also cataloged our seniors & disabled folk in town & checks up on them during power outages. The Emergency services dept will go pick them up & bring them to a relative's home or to the high school. Elderly often do not want to leave their pets, so the local animal boarding clinic takes them. I hope we don't lose power again this year!
Hi Folks it looks like you nearly all had a power failure for varying periods,..Cayuga morning having a power cut for over a week,..that's when it really sets into your mind,..laundry building up,..freezer food defrosting,..and petrol/gas pumps with no electricity oops,..hand cranked where there is no generator. If anyone has had just one power cut for at least three days then the lesson should be learned,..be more prepared for the next time,..it might be for longer. Latest News,.....seems to be an agreement to avert the strike set to start on the 16th.
There's a big difference between Mother Nature shutting off your power and corporations shutting off your power. Shame on them for playing with lives over money.
