Five years ago today millions of people in Ontario and north eastern U.S. experienced a historic hydro meltdown.
So historic and memorable that some still refer to it as The Blackout.
In the last several posts I’ve been telling the story of an official knee-knocking party that began spontaneously on my front porch with friends and neighbours.
I wrote:
Warm conversations flowed, ice melted in more ways than one, a rare atmosphere developed, neighbours became friends and we realized we’d get through The Blackout by sharing advice, skills and supplies.
The sharing atmosphere has continued on Cathcart St., our neighbours are still our good friends and I’ll be part of another front porch knee-knocker tonight after supper.
Not everyone landed on their feet like my neighbours and I did, but The Blackout’s date reminds me to enjoy things that are near.
Also, connected to that first knee-knocker party, a ‘live small and prosper’ philosophy is now frequently shared in my weekly column.
Question:
Would we benefit from annual organized blackouts?
Here’s another man’s opinion.
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4 comments:
Rotating blackouts are common in other countries, though I'm not sure how many of those are by design. In India, a day without a power cut is like a day without sunshine.
It's not surprising that The Blackout brought you and your neighbors together. People usually band together against the odds in bad situations. What is a little unique -- in a very good way -- is that you've managed to maintain that through the five years when there wasn't a problem to be met.
In 1988 a series of tornadoes hit my hometown causing all manner of destruction (though thankfully very few lives were lost). An entire apartment complex was virtually demolished, as were several other homes and businesses.
By the time the rain had stopped falling -- scarcely four hours after the storms marched through -- neighbors were helping dig each other out, the local radio stations were organizing hastily prepared drives for essentials and it seemed that the entire city of Raleigh had become just a little bit more humane. I went to the warehouse where the Salvaiton Army had set up its collection/consolidation point to help unload trucks and in the course of the evening asked one of the "regular" Salvation Army guys if this level of response was unusual.
He told me that it wasn't unusual for people to respond in the face of a disaster, but that it was difficult to maintain momentum when times were good.
It reminded me of a quote from the movie Starman when Jeff Bridges says, "Shall I tell you what I find admirable about your people? You are at your best when things are at their worst."
If we could only keep that going.
Great series Gord, I really enjoyed it.
-Mojo
mojo,
thanks for your regular visits and contributions. The Starman quote hits the nail.
i've volunteered at the local food bank since it began and have always been impressed that local businesses, churches, individuals etc. have helped keep the front doors open for over 20 years, without direct government assistance.
i recorded and delivered donations (mostly cheques) to a local bank for two years and was humbled by the cheques that came in from regular donors - especially the ones that were written with a shaky hand. Month after month seniors were giving something from their (I assumed) small pensions. It was a lesson to me.
gord h.
I agree with mojo. And it sounds very cosy. Was it all good for you?
I also like the idea of having a few days "off" like the CTV article suggested.
hi jesse,
all was good at our house except for a few questionables in the freezer that had to be tossed.
however, the food bank took a hit because we didn't want to take any chances with refrigerated or frozen goods. we tossed a pile of stuff. but no clients complained about a bad meal.
cheers,
gord h.
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