July 9, 2013

OF RAIN STORMS, BLACKOUTS AND MEMORIES

Toronto flooding at King/Atlantic (click to see original on blogTO)(drafted during the blackout)

It’s morning. The record-breaking storm in Toronto has passed. We got a month’s worth of rain in two hours. Life looks normal outside.

Only 35,000 Toronto Hydro customers are still without electricity (down from 300,000 locations last night). We’re among these “lucky” ones. #darkto

Right now, we don’t care about how many have power and bet they aren’t thinking about us either. Once our electricity is restored, life will become normal again.

Remembering

Flooding just north of Kipling and Rathburn (click to watch video on The Star)We forget quickly. Except when we don’t.

When unexpected events like heavy rainfall cause power outages, we’re often sympathetic. What can we do? Many others are affected too.

We might even enjoy the adventure.

long, slow drive
Driving for 2.5 hours through heavy rain yesterday evening while the traffic lights were out felt safe because we had plenty of diesel and avoided potential problem spots. When we got home shortly before dark, we had dinner by candlelight. That’s hardly torture.

Overnight, the temperature was pleasantly cool because of the rain. With the power out, traffic volumes were much lower than usual and the street lights were off. That’s a recipe for a relaxing sleep.

Besides, our neighbours were affected too. Like misery, adventure loves company.

This morning, the adventure quickly turned to annoyance because the power was still out. Service resumed around 10:30 AM and has been stable. There’s a 60% chance of showers with thunderstorms overnight …

Links

PS When recharging your smartphone once power is restored, make sure the power bar is on …

No comments:

Post a Comment