Power Trip

Mon pays, ce n'est pays, c'est l'hiver.

                                                                              - Gilles Vigneault

The power went out just after nine Tuesday morning across a big swath of Saskatchewan. A
temperature inversion had trapped cold air underneath warm air.  The resulting fog coated everything with moisture, which froze in very pretty ways.

It was breathtaking in any sense of the word.  But the heavy hoar frost caused power lines to sag, then snap.  Ditto for tree branches, which often contrived to fall on power lines.  The result was  no electricity for about 200,000 people in Saskatoon, Regina, Moose Jaw and much of the southeastern part of the province all the way to the Manitoba border.  Sask Power calls it the worst blackout since 1981.

The Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant was also out of commission.  It supplies Regina and Moose Jaw, so both cities had to rely on reservoirs and wells.  Moose Jaw only has a 48-hour reserve so residents were asked to conserve water by postponing laundry or showers.  

Happily, auxiliary power is available in hospitals and other essential services.  And some  businesses, such as supermarkets, can run on battery back-up for a while.  But batteries only last a matter of hours.  

At home, no power meant no heat.  Even a gas furnace needs an electric fan to circulate the warmth.  The fridge and freezer stopped refrigerating and freezing things. Traffic lights blinked out.  Gas could not be pumped.  Stores and coffee shops sent their workers home.  And even the always-busy Tim's drive through, the measurement of social life in Moose Jaw, was deserted.  It was like a Sunday in the fifties.  

People here tend to take these events in stride, but some folks do get excited.  The local bush telegraph -- Moose Jaw Talks -- had racked up close to 600 comments by mid-day. Some were helpful (check on your neighbours); others were hilarious, including conspiracy theories, rants against the power company and assorted asides about the handcart in which we’re going to hell.  The moderator had to ask people to keep their comments civilized, adding: “It’s not quite time for anarchy.”  

We thought it was a good time for a walk, so we stumped off through an almost deserted downtown and into Crescent Park, where the resident family of deer was having lunch.

That seemed like a good idea so, with roses in our cheeks, we headed back home and tucked into some cold chicken, cheese and crackers and thought about the Sask Power crews still outside, working to get the lights back on before dark.  Some power lines were coated with five inches of frost.  The temperature was minus 10, with the windchill knocking it down to about minus 20.   One person noted that it was a good thing it wasn't cold yet.  Prairie people are tough!

The power came back on at 3:01 pm, announced by a beep from the digital clock on the kitchen stove.   The first thing we did was to make a cup of tea.  The wireless internet was slow to reboot, and the house took a while to warm up.  Still, we were reluctant to turn lights on or do anything else that used electricity, in case we tripped the big breaker again.  

In all, we were without power for about six hours.  It cut out again briefly the following morning but we'd already made coffee so it wasn't a big deal.  The power was back on in half an hour.  Pretty amazing when you consider the size of the job. 

We turn on the shower, plug in our phones, flip on the TV or do a load of laundry without thinking about the complex machine that allows us to live so comfortably.   Only when it shuts down do we pay attention to what we've lost and, with any luck, show a bit of gratitude for the miracle that it is when it returns.