When the power goes out...
Sarah Holmes
sarah@soundernews.com
Monday, February 1 2010
Power outages are a fact of living on Gabriola; we accept it, plan for them and continue on the best we can until the power comes back on.
It’s quiet in the stores. Without the hum of lights, or melodic store music, you can hear the shuffling of your feet.
Displaced employees, or those hungering for companionship during this “hardship”, venture out at an unhurried pace, as they have no calling to be anywhere else.
Time seems to slow down, and drag on, as we are released from the spell of power which normally wins our attention while we complete our normal daily routine.
The bank is closed and locked until the power is restored, employees are on standby to return to work when the power is restored.
At Artworks they’re always open, power or no power, enjoying work by candlelight, they’ll accept cash or IOU’s for purchases. Yes, IOU’s are a form of currency on Gabriola - anywhere else you’d be taking the chance that you’d never see this person again. On Gabriola, you can bank on it. The coffee bar may be closed until the power’s back on, but the community connection is strong. Kathy at Artworks enjoys the time to chat with people who come in. “Everyone likes to tell their war stories about how they barely survived,” she says.
The Gabriola Island Pharmacy IDA is open to fill prescriptions and will help you out. With some power they are able to have one till open and the pharmacy available for prescriptions and refills. Flashlights and sunlight through the windows, are used by staff to help with store duties, and customers to find what they are in need of.
At Village Foods the automatic doors are manually left open, and you can see people wandering up and down with their flashlights or headlamps (as all good Gabriolians should have a flashlight close by for use). The staff are serving the customers and protecting the cool and frozen food with a generator back-up and keeping tills open to accept purchases.
Causing a cramp in Wednesday recyclers’ routine, many are spotted driving up to the GIRO Depot gate to see for themselves, hoping somehow they can still drop off their recyclables. On Saturday and next Wednesday there will be an influx, as the recyclers catch up for their lost day.
School is still functioning with a regular schedule as best as they can. About half the student population attend, where as all the teachers and all the TA’s make it to school. Physical education class is held outside, as the gym is completely black (good only for hide and seek). Principal Trish McKay says if it is something more serious or the power outage is projected to last for a long time, they will close the school. This time, school stays open while BC Hydro gives hour to hour updates.
Suzy’s Restaurant is hopping. As a 9 year veteran of power outages Suzy has the systems, procedures and generator in place for a quick transition when the power goes off.
“It’s fun, it’s stressful because it’s different. My cook Art and the kitchen staff should have sainthood, they are awesome, all of them are great,” says Suzy. “The fun part is everyone gets to sit with a stranger because there are no tables. They get to sit down and meet new people. It works, it’s kind of fun.”
Suzy’s can run for 24 hours on the back-up system, though Suzy is glad that most times she isn’t required to operate with an alternative coffee making solution, and simplified menu. The dishwasher breaker is off to reduce the electrical load so paper products are used to save dishwater. They do have hot water so they are food safe, and fans to get kitchen smells and smoke vented.
On the bright side, Wednesday is the dangerous goods and cargo day for the ferry so their propane will be topped up. For Suzy having the procedures in place includes a routine for their propane tank, “It gets topped every week just to be sure.”
Mid-Island Co-op has full operation when the power goes out. Alan said, “Things get busy at the Co-op when there is a power outage. Two years ago upgrades were made to our generator so that it would allow continuous full operation whenever there was an interruption of power.
“The latest, relatively short, outages have resulted in extremely busy mornings at the station.
“Depending on the time of day and the duration of the interruption, items such as the much welcomed morning coffee, water and emergency products like candles, batteries, kerosene and lamp oil, fly off the shelf. Propane deliveries, which are especially important during outages, can also be made without interruption.
“When there are extra long outages people just come in to be where there is light and life. There can be quite a buzz around here. The phone also rings off the hook as people seek information on the cause and expected duration of the problem.
“After every outage we evaluate how we coped and what we could do better and whether there are other products we could reasonably carry. Despite the ‘hustle’ and stresses of the moment we enjoy being one of the few businesses that can operate at these times.”
In households various families have their own practices: ‘mellow yellow’ for toilets, board games, canned food and full emergency caches of potable water.
It’s interesting how the power can be out in different areas, and neighbourly phone calling occurs, connecting different areas of the island as people share information on who has power and how much longer the outage will last.
Without discriminating, the loss of power affects us all in different ways, though one commonality is we become more patient.
There’s not much to hurry us along -- the ‘island time’ clock stopped working hours ago.
|
