# Do any of you think electricity will go out?



## Gaer (Mar 24, 2020)

Do you think it will ever come to the point where utilities as water and electricity will cease?  All the food in the freezer will have to be eaten in a day!  Do any of you think it will ever come to that?
If there isn't any man power left to keep these going; if the worst happens, could this be a possibility?


----------



## MarciKS (Mar 24, 2020)

Why would the utilities be affected by a virus? The utility companies put a hold on shutting anyone off. Like if they can't pay due to quarantine or losing their job cuz of the virus.


----------



## C'est Moi (Mar 24, 2020)

No, I don't believe any utilities will be impacted.


----------



## fmdog44 (Mar 24, 2020)

Eating food has always depended on storing food from salt curing to freezing.


----------



## RadishRose (Mar 24, 2020)

Good grief, no!


----------



## StarSong (Mar 24, 2020)

I do not.


----------



## Pappy (Mar 24, 2020)

Good Lord girl. Don’t we have enough to worry about?


----------



## CarolfromTX (Mar 24, 2020)

Oh good grief! No. Why even go there?


----------



## exwisehe (Mar 24, 2020)

no.  But I bought a generator a couple years ago, and I've used it once (about 6 hours).  It will run the refrigerator and t.v.

A bad storm or wind storm could knot out a tree somewhere, but other than that I don't want to worry about anything else for awhile.


----------



## Aunt Bea (Mar 24, 2020)

Hope for the best and plan for the worst.

I have some concerns over that happening so I've been gradually shifting some of my purchases to shelf-stable foods that can be stored and eaten without refrigeration or cooking.

We could experience a power outage due to a storm or an equipment malfunction in our home.

If I don't lose power nothing is lost I can gradually work those shelf-stable foods into my normal routine later in the year.


----------



## PopsnTuff (Mar 24, 2020)

If we lose manpower to fix these outages, it could very well happen.


----------



## Judycat (Mar 24, 2020)

People survived for thousands of years without electricity.


----------



## Keesha (Mar 24, 2020)

We’ve got a wood stove & generator but I doubt that it will come to that.


----------



## MarciKS (Mar 24, 2020)

PopsnTuff said:


> If we lose manpower to fix these outages, it could very well happen.


No offense but what outages? What do you perceive is going to happen?


----------



## IrisSenior (Mar 24, 2020)

People survived without electricity, yes; but now my house is wired for electricity. 

It better not go out!


----------



## Sassycakes (Mar 24, 2020)

Gaer said:


> Do you think it will ever come to the point where utilities as water and electricity will cease?  All the food in the freezer will have to be eaten in a day!  Do any of you think it will ever come to that?
> If there isn't any man power left to keep these going; if the worst happens, could this be a possibility?



*
Honestly I have thought and worried about this happening. I pray it doesn't but anything is possible.*


----------



## oldman (Mar 24, 2020)

I wouldn’t worry about losing electric, but now that you mention it, losing cable kind of freaks me out.


----------



## fmdog44 (Mar 24, 2020)

No light, no music, no TV, no AC, no heat, no cooking, no refrigeration...………...no big deal.


----------



## AnnieA (Mar 24, 2020)

MarciKS said:


> No offense but what outages? What do you perceive is going to happen?



May take longer to get  power restored depending on your location. Rural people are the last to get restored and that's with linemen coming in from other areas when there are widespread outages due to hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms etc.


----------



## MarciKS (Mar 24, 2020)

AnnieA said:


> May take longer to get  power restored depending on your location. Rural people are the last to get restored and that's with linemen coming in from other areas when there are widespread outages due to hurricanes, tornadoes, ice storms etc.


Well frankly I'm sure it takes a while during those conditions to restore power anyway so, I doubt this I will have that much impact on it.


----------



## chic (Mar 24, 2020)

No. There's always the National Guard and the military to keep things like that going in an emergency like this.


----------



## Don M. (Mar 24, 2020)

Loss of electricity is one of the most disruptive events in today's world.  If it's just a few hours, that is usually just an inconvenience, but if it stretches for days, it can quickly become a major problem.  If the entire nations electrical grid were to suddenly go down, for days, we could All kiss society, and life as we know it, goodbye.  Such an event, in today's world, would quickly become worse than this Coronavirus.


----------



## C'est Moi (Mar 24, 2020)

Don M. said:


> Loss of electricity is one of the most disruptive events in today's world.  If it's just a few hours, that is usually just an inconvenience, but if it stretches for days, it can quickly become a major problem.  If the entire nations electrical grid were to suddenly go down, for days, we could All kiss society, and life as we know it, goodbye.  Such an event, in today's world, would quickly become worse than this Coronavirus.


That is the terrifying truth.  In 2008, Hurricane Ike hit Houston and we were without power for TWO HORRIBLE WEEKS.  It was early September, and temperatures were in the high 90s with matching oppressive humidity.  I have never in my entire life been as miserable--in the sauna-like heat all day, in the pitch dark at night,  mosquitoes buzzing.  No lights, no air conditioning, no internet, no TV, no NOTHING except rotting food in the freezer, a big mess of limbs and debris in the yard, and the backyard fence blown down.  

Thankfully we still had water, so a cold shower was the only respite, but we'd be sweaty again as soon as we got dressed.  I hope to never experience that again.  By the end of the second week, tempers were beginning to boil over.  Some areas of the city were without power for 3 weeks or longer.  

So as I think back about that time, being "self-isolated" in my comfortable home with plenty of food, entertainment, and AIR CONDITIONING isn't so bad at all.


----------



## AnnieA (Mar 24, 2020)

MarciKS said:


> Well frankly I'm sure it takes a while during those conditions to restore power anyway so, I doubt this I will have that much impact on it.



The impact would be the lack of outsiders pouring in to help. Usually there's a disaster area and a huge, untouched rest of the nation many of whom rush to help.  Now that Covid-19 is widespread, I'm doubting that power companies will send linemen great distances to help an impacted area.


----------



## AnnieA (Mar 24, 2020)

C'est Moi said:


> That is the terrifying truth.  In 2008, Hurricane Ike hit Houston and we were without power for TWO HORRIBLE WEEKS.  It was early September, and temperatures were in the high 90s with matching oppressive humidity.  I have never in my entire life been as miserable--in the sauna-like heat all day, in the pitch dark at night,  mosquitoes buzzing.  No lights, no air conditioning, no internet, no TV, no NOTHING except rotting food in the freezer, a big mess of limbs and debris in the yard, and the backyard fence blown down.
> 
> Thankfully we still had water, so a cold shower was the only respite, but we'd be sweaty again as soon as we got dressed.  I hope to never experience that again.  By the end of the second week, tempers were beginning to boil over.  Some areas of the city were without power for 3 weeks or longer.
> 
> So as I think back about that time, being "self-isolated" in my comfortable home with plenty of food, entertainment, and AIR CONDITIONING isn't so bad at all.



My sister in the Jackson MS metro area and my parents a 100 miles north of there were out two weeks post Katrina.   It was August and awful, but they did have generators to keep fridges and freezers running.  I lived in the north most part of the state in the Memphis burbs and kept power but more than 80% of the state was without power for at least a week.  But those poor people who survived landfall on the Mississippi Gulf would've traded their circumstances for two weeks of power outage in a heartbeat.

We've ordered a lot of small battery powered fans since then and when I learned about the virus in China in January, I bought a solar generator to add to the gasoline ones.  Just because we have a pandemic doesn't mean we won't have tornadoes as well...


----------



## Em in Ohio (Mar 25, 2020)

chic said:


> No. There's always the National Guard and the military to keep things like that going in an emergency like this.


Ah, yes - very sensible.


----------



## garyt1957 (Mar 25, 2020)

They'd bring in the National Guard to keep things running, if necessary. If the NG is so decimated that even they can't keep things up and running then we're in an episode of The Walking Dead and it won't matter anyway.

edit to add: didn't read down to the post above mine before posting.


----------



## Ken N Tx (Mar 25, 2020)

*Do any of you think electricity will go out?




*


----------



## Gaer (Mar 25, 2020)

garyt1957 said:


> They'd bring in the National Guard to keep things running, if necessary. If the NG is so decimated that even they can't keep things up and running then we're in an episode of The Walking Dead and it won't matter anyway.
> 
> edit to add: didn't read down to the post above mine before posting.


Don't you hate that?  You write something, post it and look at the post above you and its the SAME THING!?  hahahaha!


----------



## AnnieA (Apr 12, 2020)

Got a message yesterday that due to expected severe weather today and the limits due to C19/CCP Virus that line repair might be delayed. Power went out 30 minutes ago and I got a text from the power company that due to widespread outages, they couldn't give a estimated restore time which they usually do.  Checked their outage map online.  People out for a hundred miles or so in most directions.  Have a feeling the solar generator a couple of months ago was a good buy!


----------



## Judycat (Apr 13, 2020)

Power went out last Wednesday for 12 hours and this morning it went out again. So yes I think the power will go out.


----------



## Sassycakes (Apr 13, 2020)

*Reading this again today I can imagine that happening. Yesterday we lost our electricity for 2 hours. I almost went crazy. I can't imagine how I would handle a power loss for a long time.*


----------



## old medic (Apr 13, 2020)

Gaer said:


> if the worst happens, could this be a possibility?


Read a copy of "One Second After"...


----------



## AnnieA (Apr 13, 2020)

old medic said:


> Read a copy of "One Second After"...



It was a wakeup call for me.


----------



## Gaer (Apr 13, 2020)

old medic said:


> Read a copy of "One Second After"...


Until I do, what is the gist of the book?


----------



## AnnieA (Apr 13, 2020)

Gaer said:


> Until I do, what is the gist of the book?



Nationwide power failure due to an EMP (electromagnetic pulse)  If a nuclear bomb is detonated above the atmosphere, the energy from the detonation creates an electrosmatic pulse that fries electronics below the atmosphere.  There's no radiation fallout or physical bomb damage, but total electrical failure.  Some of the huge transformers that would fry take two years to manufacturer and we have none in reserve.  Not even sure that we have the ability to make them in the US anymore even if factories had power to run machinery which they wouldn't.

As bad as things get in the novel ...and it gets really bad,  the characters are in a good situation compared to what would happen in urban areas.


----------



## old medic (Apr 13, 2020)

AnnieA said:


> It was a wakeup call for me.


Read his "Day Of Wrath" .... Scared me to death


----------



## AnnieA (Apr 13, 2020)

old medic said:


> Read his "Day Of Wrath" .... Scared me to death


Me too.  Wouldn't be difficult to pull off that scenario.


----------



## old medic (Apr 13, 2020)

As Annie said... but even as a work of fiction there is so much truth in it when it come to peoples reaction to a bad situation...
If you dont believe me look at people looting TVs after a hurricane... the recent TP BS...


----------



## AnnieA (Apr 13, 2020)

Just got a text from Entergy.  Estimated power restoration 11pm Thursday.


----------



## old medic (Apr 13, 2020)

We got lucky here... didnt lose at the camper... But not like it would hurt us much... In town was out most the day... Work and Hospital running on generator... Last year we were out 4 days after a winter storm... Blizzard of 93... 17 days without power... 
Its a PITA but can be done... preparation is the key.


----------



## Lakeland living (Apr 13, 2020)

Power out all around me, two trees down across the road, Nearest town is completely dark as of 4 hours ago.
So far I am smiling and touching lots of wood.


----------



## Gaer (Apr 13, 2020)

Thanks Annie, I suppose anything is possible (here in the Twilight Zone)


----------



## AnnieA (Apr 14, 2020)

Gaer said:


> Thanks Annie, I suppose anything is possible (here in the Twilight Zone)



Any nation with a strong nuclear program could do it ...but we would retaliate and they know that.   The worry is a nutter like Kim Jong-un.   They've been working on small nuclear weapons and satellites for years, and that's all it would take.   Put a small nuke in a satellite, wait until it's over the target and detonate it.   He's evil enough to hide in a bunker, set one off and not care at all what happens to the average North Korean.  Thankfully, they've had issues when testing both the nukes and their satellites.


----------



## Gary O' (Apr 14, 2020)

*Do any of you think electricity will go out?*

Here at the cabin, I wouldn't know, bein' off grid
I've had folks a few miles down the line call me; 'Is your power out too?!'
''No, the genny is runnin' fine'

Now, if a power outage were to last months, well, things would get a bit more primitive here (no gas for the gennys).
….and if months turned to a year or so, and my kerosene for lamps ran out, well, we'd go to bed at dark, and work in the daylight.
Plenty to do, deer meat would need to be jerked/dried
Wood cut...with a hand saw (that'd be two years down the line, as we have 13 cord stacked)
I'd have to get used to hearty root crops
The well pump would become a hand pump
I'd have to load my own ammo
I really don't want to go there



Lakeland living said:


> Power out all around me, two trees down across the road, Nearest town is completely dark as of 4 hours ago.
> So far I am smiling and touching lots of wood.


Good on you, LL

Keep a fire


----------



## Aneeda72 (Apr 14, 2020)

fmdog44 said:


> No light, no music, no TV, no AC, no heat, no cooking, no refrigeration...………...no big deal.


Big deal where the weather gets below zero and above 100.


----------



## Lakeland living (Apr 14, 2020)

THe sun is up, temp is down -4 and we have a half inch of snow on the ground.  
  No wind at all, clear blue sky.  Many thousands in ontario still without power.


----------



## Lakeland living (Apr 14, 2020)

Gary O' said:


> *Do any of you think electricity will go out?*
> 
> Here at the cabin, I wouldn't know, bein' off grid
> I've had folks a few miles down the line call me; 'Is your power out too?!'
> ...


Always


----------



## Gary O' (Apr 14, 2020)

Lakeland living said:


> temp is down -4


C or F? (25°F)


----------



## Lakeland living (Apr 14, 2020)

- 4 C


----------



## Judycat (Apr 14, 2020)

I love the electric company's estimates. Power goes out at 2:30 AM? It's a cheery 3 hour wait. However, if dawn breaks and the power is still out, the estimate changes to a heart dropping 11 PM. Of course the power can come on at any time in between but the electric company won't tell you that.

Meanwhile the two nosy neighbor women are having a heart attack because their frozen food is thawing.  They need to quit checking on it every five minutes but no use me telling them that. Anyway I'm having my own anxiety-ridden day. No running water is what drives me up a wall. You dear ones who can afford to have and run a generator can go pound sand.


----------



## Em in Ohio (Apr 14, 2020)

Gary O is original poster said:
			
		

> Nationwide power failure due to an EMP (electromagnetic pulse)  If a nuclear bomb is detonated above the atmosphere, the energy from the detonation creates an electrosmatic pulse that fries electronics below the atmosphere.  There's no radiation fallout or physical bomb damage, but total electrical failure.  Some of the huge transformers that would fry take two years to manufacturer and we have none in reserve.  Not even sure that we have the ability to make them in the US anymore even if factories had power to run machinery which they wouldn't.


Haven't read the book, but the threat of EMP attacks is very real.  Maybe we can move in with Gary O ?  It will be a long walk, since almost all forms of transportation will be disabled...  http://www.empcommission.org/
https://thehill.com/opinion/technol...emp-attack-which-we-pioneered-nearly-60-years


----------



## Gary O' (Apr 14, 2020)

Lakeland living said:


> - 4 C


Not too bad......same temps here...almost T-shirt weather.....almost


----------



## AnnieA (Apr 14, 2020)

Judycat said:


> No running water is what drives me up a wall.



That's the worst!  Hope yours comes on soon!

Now they're saying possibly Friday for us for power restoration but we do still have water.  Parent's hot water heater is propane, Thank God!


----------



## Judycat (Apr 14, 2020)

AnnieA said:


> That's the worst!  Hope yours comes on soon!
> 
> Now they're saying possibly Friday for us for power restoration but we do still have water.  Parent's hot water heater is propane, Thank God!


At least I could make toast on the top of the gas stove.  It tasted so much better than toaster toast, I want to have it every day, but it's not very healthy and two slices would never be enough. Haha.


----------



## peppermint (Apr 14, 2020)

We have a whole house generator....When "Sandy" in New Jersey, we had a bad Hurricaine….Many homes were gone near the Ocean...
We were the only one's who had a generator on our block...Our neighbor then bought a small generator for his food....
People were without power for a week and a half...In our town....My son and family came to our home, they didn't have a generator...
That generator did service all of our home....This year we had it overhauled...


----------



## OneEyedDiva (Apr 14, 2020)

I thought about this but I don't think it will come to that. Lordy...I hope not! I don't have one of those big freezers. I feel sorry for people who have them then lose power and lose a lot of money, especially meat eaters. I have a regular sized fridge, the freezer is packed and I would hate to lose any of that food. The power went out in my neighborhood for almost a week during Hurricane Sandy but I was able to store food in a family member's freezer because he had room.


----------



## AnnieA (Apr 17, 2020)

Still without power.  Thank God for the propane water heater and generators both traditional and solar.   Also solar lights and chargers.


----------



## Packerjohn (Apr 17, 2020)

No, I don't think so.  My nephew works for hydro & he is pretty busy.  There is a lot of fear mongering out there in the media.  It is the media that is scaring the "bejesus" out of some people.  Saw a story here in Canada that groceries might be in short supply, there might be no hydro & we will be running out of pharmacy medicines.  Ya, ya.  It's stories like this that cause some people to hoard.  The media quotes an "unnamed federal employee" for this information but says that this person does not wish to be named.  What a bunch of baloney!  The stores here are all well stocked.  The only problem are the long lines to get in because of this "social distancing".  I refuse to stand in line for 1/2 hour behind someone either vaping or starring at their smartphones so I usually turn my car around & go home.  How do I live?  Easy!  I shop Amazon for all sorts of things & I go grocery shopping at 7 am on Monday morning when there might be only 7 or 8 other seniors shopping.  At home I don't read scare mongering stories about doom days.


----------



## Gardenlover (Apr 17, 2020)

Packerjohn said:


> No, I don't think so.  My nephew works for hydro & he is pretty busy.  There is a lot of fear mongering out there in the media.  It is the media that is scaring the "bejesus" out of some people.  Saw a story here in Canada that groceries might be in short supply, there might be no hydro & we will be running out of pharmacy medicines.  Ya, ya.  It's stories like this that cause some people to hoard.  The media quotes an "unnamed federal employee" for this information but says that this person does not wish to be named.  What a bunch of baloney!  The stores here are all well stocked.  The only problem are the long lines to get in because of this "social distancing".  I refuse to stand in line for 1/2 hour behind someone either vaping or starring at their smartphones so I usually turn my car around & go home.  How do I live?  Easy!  I shop Amazon for all sorts of things & I go grocery shopping at 7 am on Monday morning when there might be only 7 or 8 other seniors shopping.  At home I don't read scare mongering stories about doom days.


Your a wise man in this regard.


----------



## hellomimi (Apr 17, 2020)

Gaer said:


> Do you think it will ever come to the point where utilities as water and electricity will cease?  All the food in the freezer will have to be eaten in a day!  Do any of you think it will ever come to that?
> If there isn't any man power left to keep these going; if the worst happens, could this be a possibility?


Everything is out of man's control with this pandemic, we should all prepare for worse case scenarios. Years ago, my exH and I were talking about EMP (electromagnetic pulse) disaster and how to prepare for it, but the trickle effects of this pandemic is far worse than any disaster in the past. 

Anything is possible, we should be prepared.


----------



## AnnieA (Apr 17, 2020)

Power is back! Yippeeeeeee!!!!


----------



## old medic (Apr 18, 2020)

AWESOME.... Im hoping to get water on today...


----------



## Uptosnuff (Apr 18, 2020)

As someone who works for an electric utility I can tell you that, no, your electricity will NOT go off because of corona virus.  We are an essential service and as such we have put measures in place that will guarantee your lights keep coming on.  That goes for electric companies nationwide.  

Now if your power goes off temporarily, that could be caused by numerous things: a car hitting a transformer, downed lines from storm or wind damage, etc.  Even critters can cause a power outage.  We know how critical electric power is and we take it very seriously.


----------



## AnnieA (Apr 18, 2020)

Uptosnuff said:


> As someone who works for an electric utility I can tell you that, no, your electricity will NOT go off because of corona virus.  We are an essential service and as such we have put measures in place that will guarantee your lights keep coming on.  That goes for electric companies nationwide.
> 
> Now if your power goes off temporarily, that could be caused by numerous things: a car hitting a transformer, downed lines from storm or wind damage, etc.  Even critters can cause a power outage.  We know how critical electric power is and we take it very seriously.




Ours went off Sunday due to storms and we just got back on line yesterday.  Before the storms rolled through, the company said that due to the Covid-19 procedures they'd implemented such as one person per vehicle etc, that restoration would take longer and that's exactly what happened.  Non-tornadic storm damage like we had Sunday usually takes 24-48 hours max for restoration.


----------

