Hey Las Cruces whatcha gonna do when the lights go out
When’s the last time your lights went out? Or your gas? Or your water? We’ve all been there at one time or another. Some interruptions last just a few minutes; some for hours. In not-so-rare instances, large swaths of populations can be inconvenienced for days, weeks or even months. Take for example August 14 and 15, 2003, when the worst power blackout in U.S history caused 50 million customers in Southeast Canada and eight Northeastern U.S. states to lose power. The outages ranged from two hours to four days, depending on location.
One thing we all have in common when we find ourselves facing that surreal moment in time when we realize we’ve lost our connection to the grid is that we have no idea how long the outage will last. That’s why it’s important to have plans in place to deal with any service interruption or disaster that may come our way. I used the word “plans” because it’s a good idea to have two: One that will sustain you in-place for a minimum of 3-days, and another in support of an evacuation.
The internet is full of tips about disaster preparedness, and www.ready.gov is one of them. The site is replete with lists for about every situation imaginable. From knowing how to receive alerts from local officials (try www.nixle.com) to what to do with Fido and grandpa when calamity strikes, it’s all there. Disaster preparedness information is also available from the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security (www.nmdhsem.org).
Most of us are of the opinion that we won’t be affected by a natural or man-made disaster. That’s because we don’t typically take into consideration situations like wildfires or weather events that interrupt major electric transmission lines elsewhere in the state or region, chemical or biological spills from trucks or trains, arson, earthquakes, drought, explosions, and a myriad of other calamities that can interrupt our lives for unknown lengths of time. Other possibilities include outright physical and cyber-attacks.
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A little closer to home; do you recall the historic Texas winter storm of 2021? At the peak over 5 million people were without power, with 11 million experiencing an outage at some point, some for more than 3 days, according to Wikipedia. How many of those people had a disaster plan in place? According to FEMA, only 39 percent. As a result, hundreds of thousands and perhaps millions of people were scrambling to find candles, batteries and who knows what else at some point during the blackout and its aftermath. Will you be one of “those” people when your lights go out?
See you at closing!
Gary Sandler is a full-time Realtor and president of Gary Sandler Inc., Realtors in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He loves to answer questions and can be reached at Gary@GarySandler.com or (575) 642-2292.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Hey Las Cruces whatcha gonna do when the lights go out
