Rethinking Survival

We live in Houston and last Thursday got hit with a Spielberg-class storm. 100 mph winds, heavy rain, memorable lightning. We’re well away from the nearest pond/lake and a turtle ended up in our yard.

Power was out for 3 days and is back on now. Three cheers for AC!

Since we live in a place that is occasionally hit by hurricanes, we have a small, portable generator that is enough to keep the fridge and a fan running, with juice left over to recharge all our devices. Hurricanes give you plenty of warning, so I keep the generator in a storage unit. When one threatens, I go get the generator and make sure it’s ready.

Houston gets some significant thunderstorms, and occasionally the power goes out for a few minutes, sometimes an hour. Nothing we can’t handle. So, other than the standard warning about thunderstorms, Thursday looked like any other day in May. Then the sirens went off and every phone, TV, and tablet within a mile was screaming at us to take shelter. We huddled in the bathroom for a while. The dogs were curious but happy; the cats were indifferent and manifestly uninterested in hanging out in a small room with dogs.

So, when the power went out, it was not unexpected. A couple hours later, it was still out, and we called it a night, happy that the temps were in the 70s. When I woke up, power was still out, so I headed off to the storeroom to get the generator, smug in my preparation plan.

As I drove out of the neighborhood, I realized it had been a very big storm. Trees and fences were down. Power lines and poles were sagging. Some power poles had been snapped off, and their pine shafts were dangling in midair, supported by the lines they normally held. Roads were closed. I navigated to the storeroom and hit my first obstacle. The site, along with approximately 1,000,000 Houston-area people, was also without power. 

No power to the magic keypad where I could enter my code and watch the electric gate swing open. I found a gate that had been manually opened and locked in place. I drove in and pulled up next to the single-story complex. The lack of power stopped me again, 30 feet from my precious generator. 

Eventually I found an unmarked door that did not have a keypad. It was unlocked and I turned on my flashlight and rescued the generator.

Trust me, I’m happy about it, but I’ll be keeping my generator in the garage from now on. It’s also got me thinking about the security of the place.

Hopefully, everyone planning to attend ComicPalooza has power by now or will soon. In any case, the George R. Brown Convention Center has power and air conditioning, so if you’re stuck in a hot, stuffy house, come on down and buy some books!