Tuesday, September 26 Day 5
Some thoughts on generators: For 11 years every time the light went out we had the same conversation about generators. Should we get one? The answer has always come back "no!" As Maria approached we reconsidered. I wrote before (170918 best moment with a generator) about Elaine buying an generator and then selling it to our friends. Now, after a week without electricity, I'm happier than ever that we did that.
First, if we had a generator, any place we could have put it would have flooded and said generator would be covered with cow manure-infused mud, likely rendering it useless.
What would we use it for? To run a small refrigerator . We kept some cold stuff in Carole's generator-powered refrigerator (is that cheating?) But we've eaten - and shared - everything that was there. We would mostly use the 'fridge to keep beer cold - an admirable use I agree. But we're still under Ley Seca, the dry law the governor can invoke during storms and crises; stores can't sell beer anyway. We already consumed most of the leftover Ola Lola's inventory. We would buy perishable food even it was available , which it is not at the moment.
We could power the computer. With no Internet that quickly loses it's appeal. And, all recommendations are to not run computers from generators.
TV? Probably not. We're doing just fine with flashlights and books.
Half (at least) of the panic over gas is people being afraid of running out for their generators. In spite of that, some people continue to run their generators 24/7. That I really don't get.
With all that said about generators, let me introduce you to St. Jeremy.
Jeremy is a pilot. He's from Michigan (which may help explain his saintliness) and a graduate of Western Michigan University's aviation program. The airline works for flies out of BQN so he has a house here, right across the street from Carole.
And, he has a BIG generator, really bigger than he needs. He ran a cable across the street to Carole and Rolf's house. He hooked it up so her refrigerator runs most of the day. She can run her TV and DVD player in the evenings and cook on an induction burner or even her microwave, all without using her generator and limited gas supply.
For some that would seem outrageously extravagant, decadent. For Carole it is incredible peace of mind. I've written before about Rolf's dementia. The gift of electricity from Jeremy's generator makes it so much easier for Carole to care for Rolf, to keep him on a regular schedule.
If Jeremy did nothing else, that cable alone would qualify him for sainthood. But...
He has a company-provided satellite phone. We were at Carole's the other night. St. Jeremy brought the sat phone over and handed it to Elaine. "Here. Go call your family."
Amazing! We are so grateful!
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