Got Electricity?

Kevin Brown, Ag Resource Specialist, BCCD
This past week was an exciting one for some of us around the area.  Monday night, as dusk was approaching, along came the storm of the century.  For some, this would be an exaggeration, but for right where I live, probably not.  I have never experienced a storm with that much wind in my lifetime.  I have only had to “head to the middle of the house” one other time during a storm.  As the winds died down, and the rain tapered off, we emerged from our safety area to assess the damage.  Trees down.  Power out.  Powerlines down in our own lawn, with two poles really leaning and ready to snap.  Tree limbs strewn everywhere.  I will admit, I am a strange person. (But aren’t we all?)  I love storms.  I love watching them.  The forces that they have are incredible.  Imagine a thing that you can’t grab ahold of (air), and some days you can’t even feel, but at the blink of an eye it can completely shred everything around you.  Anyway, without hesitation, I grabbed my chainsaw and away I went.  I knew help would be a while getting there if I did not do something on my own.  I met the neighbor at the top of the hill with his mid-size tractor.  “Is everyone ok up there?”  “Yep.”  “Is everyone ok down there?”  “Yep”.  “Then let’s get to work.”   Two plus hours later, we had made it almost a quarter of a mile up the road to where the last tree laid across it.

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And then the questions start- How long will it be out?  How widespread is it?  Do we get the generator fired up now, or wait until morning?  How long will the freezers and refrigerator last before they need to be cooled again?  How do we let everyone know we are ok?  And so on.  (Did you know that you can just plug your modem in to most battery packs and get internet service back, and a small generator can power a refrigerator?  Just keep the generator outside in a well-ventilated area.)

It is amazing how spoiled we have become.  Remember the “good old days” when the electricity went out, you grabbed some flashlights and some candles and made it family time.  What board game would you play that night?  Everyone could tell spooky stories.  You would take time to just enjoy the quietness of it.  You just shrugged your shoulders and thought, “well, I guess we need to pass the time away until they get here”.  What better “family time” can you have than that?   Now it is panic and frustration and impatience.  We have automatic generators because “OMG, what would happen if we were without electricity for even a few minutes?”  We start calling the electric company for updates.  We have to have it back on NOW.  Yes, refrigerators and such are a concern, and if you have a medical condition that requires electricity, that is a major concern.  However, for the majority of us, it isn’t nearly as bad we make it out to be.  Sit back, relax.  Take some family time.  Roll with the punches.  What better way to conserve electricity than to not use it.  LOL
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The Bradford County Conservation District is committed to helping people manage resources wisely.  You can visit the Bradford County Conservation District at 200 Lake Rd in Wysox across from the Wysox Fire Hall. Contact us at (570) 485-3144 or visit our web page at www.bccdpa.com.