Power outages may indicate a larger event that caused it, most are short this blog is common sense, above all.else.

Electricity means nothing to this guy.

It is 9:30 pm, we just lost our electrical service, it happens about once a week on our little island. There are 1500 houses in our small town, it is unincorporated so it's not a "real" town. A short power interruption is not a catastrophic event, in fact, a lot of evenings are spent outside. A breeze comes up every night, it is called "The Delta Breeze" when it runs it's course through the Central Valley of California. Lowering the temperature by 20-30 degrees F. it offers a cool relief after a warm day as today was.

The temperature during the day was nearly 100 degrees F. in the cities located in Central California. The temperature was 75 degrees in San Francisco Bay situated 45 miles west of our California Delta Island. I have noticed when the temperature difference is that profound between the bay and Fresno the wind comes up. The wider the differential the stronger the breeze is, during the day it is most noticeable. The evening breeze is different, it is a gentle wind with just enough velocity to make it's way from Stockton to Bakersfield.

The wind that is common on our island, and throughout most of the largest estuary west of the Mississippi is different during the day. It blows a lot, being a steady companion from the end of June until just after Labor Day in September. Fifteen to twenty miles per hour gusts are common, on occasion we will be on the receiving end of a wind storm. We had one several years ago which reached a wind speed of 80 mph, close to the velocity of a stage one hurricane.

Those wind speeds cause damage to a town like ours, during that one a boat shed at the marina North of us was blown over and into the river. This was not a small boat shed, it housed 10 boats, and pole supported building was about 30 feet from the water to the roof. The wind picked it up and flipped it over causing it to land upside down in the water, destroying it. We did suffer another electrical outage at that time also.

This interruption most likely will not last for a long amount of time, most of them taking less than 5 hours to run their courses. Still, I have all the stuff we need set up, I am a flashlight fanatic, I suspect there are many of us. I have flashlights, lanterns, and spotlights situated in numerous locations throughout the house. My wife lit candles, placing them in strategic locations to enable us to walk around I suppose without having to rely upon our flashlights. I handed them out to the two grandsons staying with us for a while, kept one for myself, and attempted to give one to my wife. She wanted to use the flashlight on her telephone, candles, and everything but the one I tried to give her. We should reserve the power in our cell phones for communications, that is just a crazy idea that I have.

(This link leads to FEMA's Disaster Emergency Communications)

During a short outage, there isn't a worry about running out of water, food or needing emergency shelter, it is merely dealing for a short while without the convenience. We have a few items we use during these short events, one came in handy tonight. A cell phone charger, it's a small portable gizmo that is charged with a USB cable and holds enough of a charge to energize 3 completely dead phones. It is so handy my better half doesn't use a car charger any longer she just uses the emergency one, in fact when she uses it her comment is "you should get one." I most certainly should have one, and I believe I will purchase one.

That's the way it goes, during an event we think of all the gear we could have used if we had it. Having a means to charge communication equipment is an extremely important asset to have at the ready just for blackouts. It is one of those items that stay charged until it is needed, plugging it in at night is a survival technique many people use. Other electronic gear should be plugged in prior to going to bed, cell phones, laptops, and rechargeable flashlights to name a few. While we are sleeping normally a brownout or blackout does not affect us, the problem occurs when the lack of power causes another event to unfold.

Heavy equipment should be plugged in as well, a mobility scooter, electric wheelchair, and a kit are best set up for use at a moments notice. Laying out a complete set of clothes, shoes, and socks next to the bed is a prudent practice also. Now that is not a worry for an electrical outage which is the length of this one, or the length I am predicting it to be. It is a concern if the outage causes another more intense situation such as a wildfire. If a vehicle runs into a power pole and the lines separate with sparks being ejected in every direction, the possibility of a wildfire is at the top of the list. It should be on everyone's minds to be ready for an emergency situation of that magnitude.

In a rural area, there are a number of potential causes of an electrical
outage. 

You know as well as I that most of these last for short periods of time and busting out the sanitary stations, blankets, and tents is not even close to being a reality. To me when an event is short-lived there is a certain amount of comfort to be taken in the dark and quiet house. Food is not a concern, as water is not, and shutting off the gas is not a priority. During the warm summer nights, the solitude and quiet enjoyed while sitting outside makes the blackout virtually unnoticeable. Whereas during the winter months during an electrical outage, pot roast, warm fires, and early to bed are welcome reactions to the brownout. We cope with short events well, as we should because we experience enough power interruptions on a regular basis.

Winter outages force us to face situations associated with cold temperatures, rain, and snow. Heat would be the second item on my list, just under the first which would be lighting to enable me to see how to light the fire. During the summer I collect firewood, tree trimmers set piles of cut tree limbs on the shoulder of the road. Its a custom on the island to set items on the road that are up for grabs, free for the taking. I collect firewood when it is available to load in my wagon and bring it home to add to the woodpile. The supply of wood is used during the summer by anyone going camping so the level has a tendency to change. Stacked and ready to use there is normally between 1/4 and 1/2 of a cord, some split, and some rounds. In our climate 1/4 of a cord will last 10 days, depending upon the temperature. In freezing temperatures staying warm is the highest of priorities.

Staying warm is important, but not during the summertime. The challenge during a summer power outage is becoming overheated, If an electrical outage lasts longer than a few hours extending into the next day shade is a naturally cool spot. During our time living in the Coachella Valley (southern California Desert) we would go to the local shopping mall to be near the indoor ice rink. For a short-term event staying cool is merely an inconvenience. Still, there is no need to unpack massive amounts of equipment.

The preparation for a short electric interruption is minimal, flashlights, cell phone, and candles being at the top of the list. Still preparing for a longer-term event is to our advantage, it takes slightly more for three days than it takes for an inconvenience. Most of us have a flashlight set up someplace for use during an outage, either a flashlight or a light on our ever-present cell phones. Both are acceptable for a short outage, although if we use a cell phone we should also have a means of keeping it charged. Communications could be the difference between life and death in the direst of situations. Cases of water are easy to store, one case per person per week works out to the recommended 1/2 gallon per day. If it is a short event more water won't hurt a thing, it stores well and will be ready if there is a next time. A box of granola bars in the pantry, along with our food supplies located there will be enough food for at least a few days, I see a week in ours. If it is an event we are able to stay in homes during such as an electrical outage we will survive just fine, a longer period of time with a major event dictates other actions.

I won't go any further, a short-term outage is a relative non-event, most of us are used to them. The major problems come as I stated above if the outage causes a larger event, or if a larger event caused the outage. That is where communications come in if a wildfire caused it we should then be informed enough in case an evacuation is in order. Often it is possible to see how widespread a blackout is just by looking out the window. If the neighbors on each side have lights and you don't, well you own the outage. If you look across 5 miles of open space and the lights are out in the nearest City, that is another situation possibly hinting the event may last a while. Call the neighbors, if yours are like mine one of them has already called the utility and has the scoop on what has caused the problem.

Wind causes many blackouts.

This blackout lasted just about an hour, now I will gather up the flashlights and candles returning them to their proper places, ready for the next downturn. We will have a short one next week at some point, most last less than five minutes, just long enough for the clocks to be re-set. Still, a minimal amount of preparing will pay off in the long run, and it is actually simple to set up a small functional emergency station. We don't need a trailer load of stuff, just useful, reliable, and handy to use items. Most of the fundamental equipment takes very little introduction for most of us, we know how to turn on a flashlight for instance, and most people have a handle on their cell phone functions. Don't get lost in the planning, or setting up of gear when it comes to a short occurrence, common sense, usable items and by setting it close to an emergency kit by the door will serve us just about right. It doesn't have to be expensive, stores like the dollar store have items that are usable during such an event. I suggest making a plan then supplying ourselves as dictated by what we have determined to be our needs as written in our plans. (Follow this Link to FEMA's disaster planning template web site)

Thanks for reading and sharing, short outages take little planning, however, we should spend some time thinking about what we may need, (a flashlight) then setting up what we decide is important next to our escape route, just in case. Thanks for reading my blog, leave a comment and follow me on G+.

jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com