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| https://www.getprepared.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/ep-wk/tlkt-en.aspx |
Well, this is timely given what blew through Southern Ontario and Quebec late Friday afternoon. A low pressure system roared in on something called a "sting jet." It lasted little more than a few hours but packed a punch or three with sudden wind gusts of 120 km/h (75 mph).
This goldfinch hunkered down in the apple tree.
And at 5:30 pm on Friday, the lights went out. It was candlelight and wine for supper.
Saturday morning dawned to reveal the damage. I am so very happy to report that not a single tree of ours came down. We were lucky - just a debris field of small branches and the stored siding.
The power was still out and in our neighbourhood where we depend on wells for water, that also meant there was no running water. A two-minute drive down HWY 48 told us that it would be a while before the power would back.
We went home to make coffee - camp style. A 12V to 120V inverter connected to the car allowed us to set up the coffee grinder in the trunk.
Get out the french press, fire up the camp stove and voila, there's coffee.
We conserved water. I usually fill the bathtubs when a bad storm is on the way, but I didn't this time. Still, there are always at least two jerrycans of water stored in the house and there's always the hot water tank for another 150 litres (40 gallons). We charged up solar cells to keep our cell phones working. Unusually, we also lost the Bell telephone landline, our emergency communications backup!
Another reconnaissance drive down the highway gave us hope that lights would be on sooner rather than later.
More than one driver at this intersection had no idea that Lights out = 4-Way STOP. Come on people!
Back home to yard cleanup then supper and just like the pioneers before us, bedtime when darkness fell.
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| Thawed seafood from Friday, became Saturday's 'camp' supper |
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| Scallop & Shrimp Ciopino with toasted naan. And wine of course! |
Sunday morning we were up not long after the sun.
News of the revised power restoration time to noon on Monday had us concerned about water. We would have enough, but just. I also checked the freezers - food in both was still frozen but I knew that would not last another 24 hours. I added ice to both freezers and topped up the ice in the fridges.
Though not anywhere near a disaster, (a 10-minute drive north got us to shops that were open and powered), it did make us think about what if the disruption was far more widespread? Hmmmm, something to ponder while Sophie and her folks checked out the damage in the regional forest adjacent to us.
As suddenly as it went out, the power returned at about 2:30pm on Sunday. Outside, raking the side yard, we looked up to see the kitchen light on. The first thing we did was flush the toilets, then we refilled the water heater and began recharging all the backup batteries.
My sincere thanks to the Hydro1 crews who worked so very hard to bring us all back online.
I have to admit it was rather nice disconnecting from the internet, TV, and cell phones. We got a whole lot of outdoor work done in the brilliant sunshine and warm temperatures. Had the weather been awful on the weekend, or had it been winter, I suspect my enthusiasm would be markedly less! We were lucky.
Deo gratias.
©2018 April Hoeller
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