February 22 was a day that a lot of us will not forget in Michigan. It was the infamous ice storm that you have probably heard about in the news. It’s not just because of the damage that it inflicted, but also because of power outages that lasted for little more than 5 days.
When my power went out, it was the ending of rush hour for many and the middle of dinner time for most. I was just finishing up watching a video highlight from The View when suddenly everything went out. We were in the middle of cleaning the apartment a little bit and I was just about to warm up some dinner. Talk about an inconvenience!
Luckily, I easily had some food that could be easily eaten from the refrigerator and didn’t need any warming up whatsoever. My partner was not very happy because it kind of interrupted their Internet time and they were probably in the middle of chatting with someone or playing a game.
By this time, the ice was coming down pretty good and once in a while we were seeing flashes of greenish-blue lightening. That could only mean one thing, transformers were popping. About a couple hours later, lights were flickering on and off for about a few minutes making my apartment, let alone the complex I live in, feel like I was in the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World. I kind of felt like a paranormal investigator.
Eventually the flashing stopped. There was a buzz and a pop. Once again green flashes. Another transformer.
My partner and I decided that night that we should hunker down and stay safe. We had battery-operated lights, plenty of bottles of water (that we had filled up before the storm), and decided to make the most of it. But then another issue emerged, no heat. The thermometer that is used to get the boiler started just also happens to run on electricity. Which meant, temperatures were going to slowly go down and it would be cuddle-next-to-your-neighbor kind of night.
During this time, I called my father to let him know the situation. Luckily, he had electricity and heat. The next day, we decided to go to his place where we could get laundry done, store some food in the fridge, and just kind of camp-out. We ended up doing this for a day or two until the weekend approached. Once the power was back on, we made our move back, settled in, cleaned out the fridge, and got restocked all in a span of 2 days. We took our time and by the end of it, my partner and I were pretty exhausted.
A week later, my father had his power out for at least 22 hours and ours flashed with the Internet being the victim. After that week, we lost power for at least half the day and luckily took emergency action since we were not told exactly by DTE when the power would be back on.
While we were lucky to have someone close to help us out, others decided to pay some money to stay at hotels that ended up completely booked up (especially if they had power). That way, once they checked out, they could claim it on their homeowners insurance for a reimbursement. Others were not so lucky. They were kind of stuck in a cold place with nowhere to go, but only warming centers where they could power up their electronics or find a restaurant that had power to at least have a good meal.
So, why am I telling this story?
It’s a story that many can identify with. It’s a situation we have all faced in both cold and hot weather. It’s also something that we can learn from the more we go through these things. It also makes for a relatable connection. With the spring/summer season on it’s way, it’s almost guaranteed that more impending power outages might happen. So, why not reflect on this situation?
When my partner and I first faced a power outage at our current apartment a few years ago after a big storm in late August/September, we were very unprepared. We started to scramble trying to find every candle, flashlight, battery, that we had or can find. Whatever we didn’t find we ended up buying either when the weather calmed down the next day or two or when the power finally came back on. A year later, around the same time, we were prepared just a bit more, but the problem then was not being able to use our lifeline because COVID-19 was still at it’s height and we didn’t want to get neither my mom or dad sick. I even tried to teach while the power was out, but that became more stress than what it was worth because we always had to go to a power-source to keep powering back to full while using all my resources. I got pretty sick from that stress after that.
So what goes through our brain when we go through a power outage?
The first day or two, we learn to adjust and feel like we can do it, that we can survive. But if the power goes any longer than at least two days, we start to become stir crazy. This is especially true if we are stuck and really have nowhere to go. If any of you had a power outage during the pandemic at any point, you’ll understand this mood. The places where you could go, you really can’t because you’re afraid of getting sick or getting a loved one sick, so you remain in your domain. Then, the stress levels hit and suddenly you and whoever you are living with start small meaningless fights because you are going through the same things and now you just don’t have the outlet to vent your frustrations when the power was on. Sometimes you end up saying things you don’t mean because you feel so scared.
So, how do you deal with the negative energy while in the midst of this chaos? You learn to make peace with it. You pray. You hope. You try to keep yourself busy offline in ways you never could online or were able to when you were glued online. Sometimes you might come across a news story that will change your perspective, such as a death, war in another country, etc. that will make it seem like your little power outage is just peanuts compared to the big picture.
If you are lucky enough to leave your space and stay with a friend, relative or even at a hotel for a night or two, make the most of it. Use this time to catch up on your sleep from all the stress. If you work, and feel like you cannot do what you are capable of, take that time off. Your managers (hopefully) will understand your situation if you explain your reasonings and keep them updated with the latest information. You could even offer to do minimal administration work such as writing reports, doing edits, etc. That way you’re keeping yourself busy while still showing you can contribute.
When the power finally comes back on, you breathe a sigh of relief. You feel like you can breathe again. You might hear your neighbors shout, “Halleluiah!” However, it’s not over yet.
There’s the next phase which is making sure the temperature is right, hot water is coming from the tap, and cleaning out the refrigerator. Getting things all set and settled can take at least a day or two. If you are in a hurry and need to get back to work soon, it might be sooner. However, if you are able to take that extra day or two off (even when the power was out) just to get settled, do it. When we take care of our needs and feel like they are complete, we can then take care of other’s needs.
While it is a fact of life that we can’t control what Mother Nature does, we can control how we prepare and react to it. This is why emergency preparation is often reported on in the news and emphasized as the various storm seasons approach. Most of the time, we simply ignore it and let it roll off our back. However, once we actually experience a situation personally we start thinking a bit smarter.
And that’s the big lesson of this story….always be prepared for anything. You just never know.
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