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On the Air
Dec. 16th, 2006 01:01 pm"We hope you've enjoyed your tour of the 1920s. Please keep your hands inside the cart at all times."
So, we're back on the air. The power went out at 0100 on Friday morning, and was restored approx. 1100, for a total of 34 hours.
KUOW is reporting that power is still out for about 460,000 customers of Puget Sound Energy alone. No other real reporting on the situation I can find, which means it seems it's only a concern if it's you without power. Bastards.
I say "1920s" rather than 19th Century mostly because we had a battery powered radio to listen to last night. We've had other adventures, like cooking by the fireplace embers. I've taken it from someone else, but the first day or two of a power blackout is the summer camp/honeymoon phase -- it's when it lasts longer that things get ugly.
This is probably the longest period I've been without power in my life, and the longest I've experienced since The Great Blackout of 1965 (which Wikipedia says people, "...were left without electricity for up to twelve hours." Ha. Pikers.).
The real limiting factor -- and wholly my own fault -- is that the Volvo had a nearly empty tank when things began, let alone since. Being out in the 'burbs, this has constrained our ability to move about.
I think that while it's been a peek into our past, it's also a glimpse into the post-peak-oil future -- the burbs got hit the hardest, and the city was able to recover far faster. In the long run, I think all the burbs on the eastern shore of Lake Washington are doomed, as such events will become more and more common. I don't expect another 13-year gap -- the Inauguration Day storm of 1993 -- before the next similar event. In fact, I think it's entirely in the cards it may happen again later this season.
So, time for some gas, D-cells, and a wind-up radio.
So, we're back on the air. The power went out at 0100 on Friday morning, and was restored approx. 1100, for a total of 34 hours.
KUOW is reporting that power is still out for about 460,000 customers of Puget Sound Energy alone. No other real reporting on the situation I can find, which means it seems it's only a concern if it's you without power. Bastards.
I say "1920s" rather than 19th Century mostly because we had a battery powered radio to listen to last night. We've had other adventures, like cooking by the fireplace embers. I've taken it from someone else, but the first day or two of a power blackout is the summer camp/honeymoon phase -- it's when it lasts longer that things get ugly.
This is probably the longest period I've been without power in my life, and the longest I've experienced since The Great Blackout of 1965 (which Wikipedia says people, "...were left without electricity for up to twelve hours." Ha. Pikers.).
The real limiting factor -- and wholly my own fault -- is that the Volvo had a nearly empty tank when things began, let alone since. Being out in the 'burbs, this has constrained our ability to move about.
I think that while it's been a peek into our past, it's also a glimpse into the post-peak-oil future -- the burbs got hit the hardest, and the city was able to recover far faster. In the long run, I think all the burbs on the eastern shore of Lake Washington are doomed, as such events will become more and more common. I don't expect another 13-year gap -- the Inauguration Day storm of 1993 -- before the next similar event. In fact, I think it's entirely in the cards it may happen again later this season.
So, time for some gas, D-cells, and a wind-up radio.
