Typhoon No. 14 (Nanmadol) is a Category 4 storm blowing through Kyushu right now, and we are expected to get the tail end of it on Tuesday here in Chiba. That did not stop today’s weather from being blustery and wet enough to destroy rice fields, swell rivers, and cause a power outage this evening.
Fortunately, we prepared ourselves well after the disaster 3 years ago. We have a generator that’s is always fueled, a battery powerbank for charging phones, several 20 liter water tanks, a pantry full of shelf-stable ingredients, and LED torches generally charged and ready.
Shortly after the power went out today, we decided to take a walk to pass the time. As we strolled the neighborhood, we discussed the likely scenarios and timeframes for the power returning:
- 10 minutes: confirming a simple problem and flipping a switch
- 1 hour: diagnosing a more complex problem then flipping a switch
- 3 hours: sending a team out on site to fix a simple physical problem, like a fallen tree
- 8 hours: retrieving a part from a warehouse to be used on site to fix a complex problem
- 24 hours: calling in the engineers and possibly help from other power companies
- Longer: widespread power outages and we are low priority
When we got home, an hour had passed and still no power. So we fired up the generator to get the fridge running, and plugged in a fan, too.
Just before the three hour mark, I lit candles for the dinner table and two minutes later, the power popped back on. Yay!
