The specter of a major disaster seems to have the attention of most people. There may be a tornado or a flood or a hurricane or a wildfire or a blizzard or even a President. However, the scariest one around here is the one involving a major earthquake or other event causing a significant impact on our electrical system.

The Emergency Preparedness Committee recently hosted a public meeting addressing this subject at the Beach Club. Jen Warburton, chair or the committee, kicked off the meeting by introducing the three presenters addressing the need for being prepared for a significant power outage in this area.

Jameson Hawn, the digital communications specialist from Jefferson County Public Utility District, talked about what they do when the power goes out and what we should and should not do. When the power is out there may be high winds, ice, downed trees, limited cell service and damage to the water system.

Of course, the Hood Canal Bridge may also be damaged and unable to function, a situation many of us in the area experienced just last week. It was an opportunity to become familiar with the much longer route to the peninsula through Belfair, Union, Brinnon, and Quilcene! Jameson noted that the priorities for getting the power back up are the hospital, emergency management agencies like fire and police protection, the ferry system and grocery stores. He also made clear that guys like me should never, ever touch a downed power line!

Hans Frederickson, president of Frederickson Electric, provided an outline of emergency power solutions available. Most of his discussion centered on answering the question of “how much power do you need?” Is the answer “jiggawatts” as envisioned in the movie “Back to the Future?” Conversely, do you just need to protect the contents of your refrigerator and freezer plus the television, maybe? Hans displayed a chart indicating the power required for various devices and potential generator solutions from portable to more robust solutions.

Andy Cochrane, president of Power Trip Energy Corp., outlined many of the successful “grid-tied” projects his company has installed over the past 20 years. As you might suspect, solar projects are a challenge in the Pacific Northwest but Andy noted that even though the technology has had minimal enhancements over the years the price has decreased dramatically making solar power more attractive. However, during a major storm, solar power may not be as available to the homeowner so we should consider battery power as a solution. Battery technology has changed dramatically with additional function, reliability and longevity. Heck, you can even power your refrigerator from your Ford truck!

Much appreciation to Jameson, Hans and Andy for their professional and educational presentations and demonstrations.

The “Ice Pigging” project run by Olympic Water and Sewer (OWSI) has had a successful start, at least as measured at my house. I had some initial confusion as my house is on Pioneer Drive and my water meter and shut-off valve are on Wheeler. This means my address from OWSI’s perspective is on one street but my water comes from a valve on the next street. Where was the water being turned off? We figured it out after BJ successfully took her shower and the water pressure disappeared when I started mine. All went well since I was able to shower several hours later.

Since the water was turned off to the house, I suggested we head out for breakfast at the Chimacum Café. We enjoyed a hearty breakfast provided by Sandy, our waitress. We really enjoyed the 1960s music playing in the restaurant. I asked Sandy for the source of the music and she confessed it was her own personal playlist. I was truly impressed since I suspect the music was around before she was born. About that time the song “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis started to play and we confessed to Sandy that our first date was at the Holyoke Bar in Indianapolis where Jerry performed. Service at the Café is great, the food is great but the music is why you go there to hear Sandy’s playlist Wednesday through Saturday.

Love a curmudgeon and have a great week!