The Power's Still Out

[platedlizard]

Holy Fuck. Eleven years ago, when the 1995 windstorm hit, the power was out for us for about two hours. Yesterday, when the latest windstorm hit, we lost power at about 5:30pm, AND IT'S STILL OUT! The power has always come back on here within minutes or hours, but now the newreports are sugesting days, maybe even a week. Every time I call the power company to get an update the message is "we don't know what's wrong or when the lights will be back on" (only more offical sounding). I think there's something wrong at one of the power stations. In Oregon there are more then 350,000 people affected, and in Washington it's worse, about one million. Yay.

Part of the reason why I'm freaking out is that I have reptiles, along with birds and a hamster and fish. I'm not real conserned with the fish, if they make it, great, if not, no real loss (sad, but true). My birds and hamster are fine, the room temperature is 60*F, which they can easily handle. My reptiles, on the other hand... My TROPICAL reptiles who need to have an ambient temperature of 80-85*F, and a basking temp of 95+ aren't doing so well at 60*. Radar, my iggy, was giving me puppy-dog eyes this morning when I went off to work, telling me that he was too cold. My chameleon didn't get misted because I didn't want to chill him, and his waterfall isn't working. So he was probably quite thirsty, as well as cold.

I moved the chameleon's cage into my iggy's cage (which is fully enclosed, unlike the chameleon's), and put nine waterbottles full of hot water in it. Thank goodness our waterheated is gas-powered. That raised the temperature about five degrees in ten minutes. Not real great, but better then nothing. I was feeling quite pleased with myself until Dad got home from his business trip, upon which time he informed me that we had a generator in the garage. Oh well.

The generator gives us about three hourse worth of electricity on a full gas tank, so the heat will probably go out again tonight for them. Oh well.

Comments

[tailypo.livejournal.com]

Our power was out for ~24 hours. Some people will be out for days. I was really worried about our hermit crabs (who will lose LIMBS if the temp drops suddenly or they otherwise are shocked!) and my millipedes. I used to have a snake (she died in October) and I know how tough it is to deal with reptile temps! I had a microwavable sock for traveling but what do you do for power outtages??? The water bottles are a good idea, and that's what my girlfriend did for her crabs. (Also she's going to build an insulating foam case for her aquarium.)

... Right now they're giving flood warnings. Ugh.