GenX Guide to Surviving Brownouts

As a GenXer, I've experienced long periods of no electricity in the 80s, 90s and during typhoons and crazy flooding incidents. I remember waking up drenched in sweat as a child because there was no electricity. In high school, I finished reading Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo by candle light. By the time I was in college (university), I'd write reports on my Mom's Olympia typewriter by candlelight. 

Not having electricity for hours was just part of life. You just need to go with the flow. The difference now is a lot of gadgets that help you be more comfortable during power outages. We always worried about it because my health condition requires me to be kept at a certain temperature and the air has to be clean. Bad air quality is my kryptonite. 

We lost electricity last night for 3 hours. I was resting on the couch and watching the news when it happened. Here's what we have on hand that made the 3 hours bearable:

Emergency Lights

We have an emergency light that also functions as a radio. It was unfortunately not charged last night, so I instead used a Neewer video light panel. I installed it on a camera stand and focused it on the ceiling. I learned that trick when I was a child. Focus the light on the ceiling because it'll light up the room better. 

We also have other rechargeable lights (bulbs/flashlights), spotlights that can be powered by a power bank, solar lights, and a Firefly rechargeable light with radio. The solar lights we installed around the perimeter of our house proved very useful and our neighbor was surprised it would automatically light up whenever a cat passed by. 

Rechargeable Fans

We invested in Xiaomi rechargeable fans a few years ago. It has saved us a couple of times already. Just make sure you condition the battery so it lasts long. We also have Firefly rechargeable fans. It's smaller, but we each like to have a personal fan (this is Sweetie's favorite fan since he brings it around the house). Miggy and I each have a handheld Tylex fan. I got it three years ago and it's still working well.

Radio

We always have a battery operated radio on hand. Back when CCTVs were expensive, we would leave the radio on at home when we had to step out. Sweetie and I both grew up in households that would tune in to AM radio during power outages. We're both martial law babies, so it was always important to know what was happening. 

Sweetie got a walkman a few months ago from the Australian Surplus Shop in Muntinlupa. He couldn't find our old radio (plus the emergency light was dead), so he brought the walkman out and we listened to DZMM. At that time mobile phone signal was down, so having a radio proved very useful. 

Powerbank

Always have your powerbanks charged. We got an extra powerbanks for our go-bags. Sweetie had to use his go-bag power bank since he was still charging his everyday powerbank (we were at the hospital earlier in the day). I used mine to charge my phone to keep in touch with family/friends.

Portable Air Purifier (useful for those with asthma!)

My lungs are wrecked, so it's important for me to breathe in filtered air. As soon as the power went out I started coughing. The air quality has been bad the past few days. I brought out my portable Tylex Air Purifier and that helped end the asthma attack.

I'm curious to know how other generations deal with power outages?

#BeKind #StaySafe