The washer had thankfully finished spinning while the dryer still had damp clothes in it. We do not have large water storage containers yet. I immediately filled the bathtubs and our water pitchers and shut of the water. We blocked the fridge from being opened. Then we found rope and hung it between the fences to put our wet clothes on.
We used a lighter to ignite the gas stove to cook dinner. We found all the flashlights and candles in the house and places them in strategic locations. We contacted family out of state to notify them of the blackout and that we were safe. While we still had some power to our batteries of the cell phones we checked the internet for updates on the power outage.
After eating dinner and making sure things were ready for the next day, the kids went to bed. I brought in the dry clothes and got things ready for work. Then I went to bed. Hubby stayed up a while longer reading by flashlight, then he too went to bed.
Just before 2am the power came back on. We turned back on the breakers and off any missed light switches. We turned the water back on and emptied the bathtubs. We went back to bed.
I had to be at work by 530am. School had been canceled. Hubby emptied out the fridge of all dairy products and anything else that had turned. We were able to save a large majority of our food.
Ten hours without power was a small test in our preparedness and resourcefulness. We loaned our propane tank to a neighbor for them to finish cooking their meat. We saw and hear how others fared during the experience. We're definitely purchasing water drums soon. I am grateful there wasn't a natural disaster associated with the black out, as that would have made things last longer and other utilities like natural gas probably be interrupted as well.
Are you prepared for blackouts and natural disasters?
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