Power Outage Un/Event

Sandra Filippelli

In the un/event of a power failure, take the following calculated steps to ensure that you are unprepared.
• Throw out all new and partially used candles: fear igniting a fire or illuminating darkness.
• Pay your hydro bill two months ahead to avoid neglect of electrical utilities. You will wish you had the funds to eat locally when your stove shuts down.
• Allow your flashlight batteries to linger until the gadgets’ lights dim.
• Ride the elevator Dr. Strangelove retro.
• Forget to stock up on canned tuna and salmon.
• Misplace the can opener (a variant on the above entry).
• Neglect to have a battery-operated radio. You might have trouble hearing in the darkness anyway.
• Use up your cellphone data (a variant on the above entry).
• Don’t use your laptop or tablet battery to write emails to people who can’t get the electricity back on for you.
• Determine not to call anyone on your land line, which you retain for emergency (a variant on the above entry).
• If you can’t fall asleep, consider other options.
• Sit in blackout.
• Breathe.
• Let all thoughts go.
• Attune to sounds, such as multiple wailing sirens.
• Let sounds drift away.
• Inhale softly.
• Exhale gently.
• Forget about sleep. Forget about work.
• Release all issues.
• Declare this power outage a non-emergency event.