Island Senior | When the power goes out
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 22, 2026
By Peggy Sue McRae
Journal contributor
I was lazily scrolling on my phone the Wednesday morning of April 15, peacefully oblivious to the fact that the power had gone out. With morning light streaming through my window and my battery-operated clock ticking along, it wasn’t until I saw the OPALCO alert on my phone that I realized, oh gosh, the power is out … and not just for me but the whole county! That is when I noticed my phone’s battery power dwindling … 21%, 13%, 9%.
As I’ve gotten older, living in an all-electric apartment is, for the most part, a more comfortable and convenient lifestyle than the more rustic dwellings I’ve occupied in the past. When I moved in here and realized I could turn on the lights with my elbow, my thinking was, “I’m so ready for this!” Firewood detail in my previous home had been getting harder to keep up with. Yet on this chilly spring day without power, I found myself wistfully nostalgic for a wood stove, a stack of tortillas, salsa and a chunk of cheese.
I have plenty of good drinking water and foods that, while they might be more appealing warm, would certainly keep me from going hungry. I made my usual morning beverage of oat milk with matcha and honey using my battery-powered frother to whip it up. It was good, but it was cold. In my increasingly chilly apartment, I was far from suffering, but a warm beverage would have been an improvement. One important thing to remember is that the Mullis Center, at least partly thanks to last fall’s generously supported fundraiser, has improved propane storage and an upgraded generator so it is able to remain open for business Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays regardless of power outages. During the power outage on April 15, about 80 members of our community enjoyed a hot lunch as well as typical Wednesday programs and activities in the bright warmth of the Mullis Center. Warmth is a keyword here for seniors like myself who rely on electric heat in our homes! Going to pick up my order from the Food Hub that afternoon, the warmth of my car was so delicious, I continued driving and remembered a program with the Car Talk Guys on NPR. Martha Stewart was their guest, and she told them how to cook a whole chicken under the hood of a car (https://www.npr.org/2013/03/23/175
137343/-1312-when-martha-met-click-clack). I did snuggle down with a blanket that afternoon, but never reached the point of getting out the “winter camping in Idaho” sleeping bag.
This power outage seemed to be asking me, “How prepared was I for such an event?” I discovered that getting new batteries for my emergency boom box needs to go on my “be prepared” shopping list. I also came to the conclusion that the hand-crank radio/flashlight is for more post-apocalyptic times than a mere power outage, and a small battery-operated transistor radio, like what I had when I was a teenager, would be far more user-friendly in these circumstances.
How did you manage our recent power outage? Have you identified vulnerabilities? San Juan County Emergency Management has an informative webpage for older adults (https://www.islandsready.org/seniors). “If you’re an older adult, or supporting someone who is, the basics are the same: stock up on supplies, make a plan, and connect with neighbors.”
Be safe and be prepared.
