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I, too, have found extended power outages, particularly in DC to be easier to cope with in a more urban setting than a low-density suburban or even rural one. I was very lucky to not lose power in last week's storms. One of my friends in Loudon county was not so lucky, and having 2 dogs, I told her she was welcome to come to my place (dogs can't go to cooling centers, and often don't tolerate the elements as well - fur and all - so I gave her priority). She tried to come into town, but didn't have enough gas to make it. After calling every gas station she could locate within the range her car would get her, she gave up and toughed it out until I made several phone calls and found her another nearby (to her) friend of mine with power who was willing to open his home to two strangers and two dogs, because she couldn't find a gas station with both power and gas. When I have lost power in the past, I've been able to access a shower at work, groceries right up the street, and cooling centers and pools within walking/transit distance.

Much of the same goes for extreme weather that doesn't necessarily knock the power out. I didn't stock up on TP and canned goods for the various snowpocalypses, because I knew that the grocery store up the street would be able to keep me well-stocked, and I, indeed, had no trouble reaching it on foot.

As far as how we coped in the past... Well, part of that is that heatwaves such as this one were far less common in the past. Keep in mind that we have experienced all-time record heat in the last few weeks, both for its severity and duration. Otherwise, yes, I do find that older people just handle it better. My grandmother never had air conditioning - in fact, she HATED air conditioning - and they coped with a few fans and lots of trees. Yes, they lived in a post-war suburb (large brick single-family, but close-in with neighbors), and the crossflow of air helped, as did the brick construction of the home and the mature shade trees. Where crossflow isn't available and power is out, that can be really daunting and perhaps solutions such as minimal back up generation, which would maybe give each unit one outlet to run a fan, are wise. But people have lived in dense, dilapidated buildings in urban centers for a long time, and they cope by taking advantage of the "third places," as mentioned. Jim Vance mentioned, I think every day this week, escaping to the movies once a week as a child. People could walk to the park and enjoy some breeze and shade, or browse an air-conditioned store. That doesn't work as well in places where you have a spread-out, outdated electrical grid where one fault can knock out large areas, and you need gas (that you may not be able to get) to get there. And otherwise, thousands of people died in heatwaves in the past. It sounds like this one killed around 50 people, which is impressive compared to historical events, especially when you consider its geographical breadth, severity, and duration, particularly when combined with the extreme weather conditions.

by Ms. D on Jul 8, 2012 4:55 pm • link • report