Whelp, turns out that Isaias was not overhyped by the media after all. Although there was only about 15 minutes of rain and strong winds where I am located, it caused extensive damage. It brought down a giant tree branch that got tangled in our electrical wires. Plus it took out the power all over the state, including in our home. I work from home, our only car is fully electric, and National Grid is saying that it will take three days to restore power. What should we do with no power for three days?

Generator

The obvious solution is to get a generator. These cost anywhere from $300 and they are available at stores such as Home Depot, Walmart, Lowe’s etc. However, if you don’t already own one and something like this happens, they will all be sold out. We called over a dozen places at 7AM and they were already out of them.

We finally bought one online to pick up at a local Walmart, but the Walmart didn’t have power. So even though we legally owned one of their last three available generators, they were not able to give it to us because they couldn’t scan it and mark it as sold. They weren’t even allowed to use the generator to power up the machines needed for check out. So we canceled the purchase and kept calling.

We Found One!

Finally, we found one that was available at Home Depot. And by one, I mean ONE. The. Last. One. We begged the guy on the phone to hold it for us for just 15 minutes and we rushed over. By the time we got there, they had gotten over 20 calls asking for it. We could have probably stood in the parking lot and re-sold it for $1,000 to someone desperate. Except A) we are too nice to do that and B) we are the someone desperate who would pay $1,000 just to have one.

Once you have one, you need to do some research to make sure you use it correctly. My husband is literally setting ours up as I type this, so I’ll refer you to an expert guide. We were told at Home Depot not to plug a laptop in, because it could damage it, although the generator box says it’s safe. Do your research before you make any rash decisions that could damage your tech or home. Here’s another article about what you can power with a 6,500 Watt Power Generator.

Electronics Safety

“Unplug appliances with electronic components, such as microwaves, televisions and computers. This will help to eliminate damage to your appliances from voltage surges when the electricity is restored. Wait a few minutes before turning on these appliances when the electricity is restored.”

Safe Electricity

So the first thing you should do is unplug electronics. Surge protectors should be used on electronics that can’t be unplugged. Keep your fridge and freezer doors closed, insert blocks of ice to keep everything inside as cold as possible for as long as possible. They also suggest that you turn all your light switched off except for one – to see when it comes back on.

Solar Power

If you’re out of power for three days and can’t get a generator (now the second most hoarded item of 2020 after toilet paper?) chances are your phone won’t last too long. Yes, an old Nokia somewhere is laughing at my iPhone with it’s infinite battery life. Well anyway, if you want to stay connected to the world and post pics on Insta while you BBQ everything that’s slowly rotting in your fridge, get a solar phone charger. These will likely also sell out quick, but they are a great backup plan.

I have personally owned two, both really cheap. I bought them because I was spending a week in a place that had no power during the day and as a YouTuber I needed to keep my camera charged. One of them worked for about five minutes before dying and the other charged my electronics at a glacial pace. But hey, it was better than nothing! Check out your local stores to see if they have one. These are the most popular picks for 2020. I don’t currently have one but that will change. These are great for camping or just to use at home to save electricity, or while you are in the backyard.

Tesla

One of our current biggest concerns is our fully electric car. We don’t have a backup gas car and there’s only 30 miles left on the Tesla. We obviously can’t charge it on the generator, so we’d have to go to someone’s house to charge – the problem is that you need a special charger for it to charge faster than 3 miles an hour. A generator might exist somewhere to fully charge one and it would be absolutely hilarious to use a gas-powered generator to charge a Tesla.

Unfortunately, our $400 generator can’t charge a Tesla. Plus, the only supercharger in this tiny state of Rhode Island isn’t currently working. The closest one that is still on is in Hartford. Even in NYC, many of them are currently down. We now understand why people worry about owning a Tesla during an apocalypse. Although the better models do have a Bioweapon Defense Mode that cleans the air inside the car. It was even demonstrated in one of my favorite TV shows The Affair.

About Isaias

The damage that Isaias caused is still being assessed. It hit Rhode Island as a tropical storm after battering the entire east coast as a hurricane . The streets are covered in broken branches and many houses are humming noisily as people try to save the food in their fridges with generators. Isaias was only a tropical storm in many places but it caused a lot of damage to property and dozens are in hospitals, and six are dead so far. It also caused tornadoes and even landfall in some areas. Read more about the damage that Isaias caused here.

Summary – No Power for 3 Days

Losing power, especially during COVID times when many are working from home, is horrible. Isaias may not have been as bad as expected here in Rhode Island, but it still managed to take down a lot of power lines causing 3.5 million people to lose power, potentially for up to three days. There may not be a way for you to get the power you need to get back online and do your job. But there are definitely things you can do to protect your home and appliances. Keep calm, be safe and can we please fast forward to 2021? I think the entire world is over 2020 at this point.

Update: Our Setup

And I’m back online! My boss is happy and I can charge my Apple Watch to keep my 10,000 steps a day streak going!

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