GOOD ARISES FROM OUTAGE
For all the talk of the ills of social media — and much of it is very valid — two beautiful words were flying around Facebook and Twitter this week: Thank you. The power outage that hit Saskatchewan on Tuesday was staggering in its magnitude. At its height, Saskpower estimates between 175,000 to 200,000 customers were left without electricity — or almost a quarter of Saskatchewan’s population. Premier Scott Moe said in a statement that Boundary, Shand and Poplar River power stations all tripped Tuesday morning.
Obviously, being powerless on a frigid Saskatchewan day is cause for concern and perhaps even fear. The spirit with which people faced down this stressful situation is inspiring. Social media posts offered support, gratitude and even a humorous spin on the situation. “Thanks skp. A day off with pay!” one post read.
Amber Doucette tweeted, “Thank you to the hard working @saskpower crews who have been working hard to bring the power back on. I have never been so thankful for this hot cup of coffee.”
One Regina radio station declared Wednesday to be Hug A Saskpower Worker Day.
The Regina Leader-post carried Saskpower press briefings live on Facebook, and the comments contained an almost constant stream of variations of “good job” and “thank you.”
Saskpower officials said its outage centre received 20,000 calls between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., which is equal to all of the calls it received during the month of November. Spokesperson Jordan Jackle did a terrific job of handling media concerns, and the hundreds of Saskpower employees who braved cold temperatures and hot consumer tempers are deserving of much praise.
The frost that has lasted for many days, and is visually stunning, is probably the culprit for the outage, causing the damage to lines and poles. That frost is not completely gone, and could return. It is important to keep in mind Saskpower’s warning to stay at least 10 metres away from damaged infrastructure, and not to try removing the frost ourselves. If someone is in danger, call 911. Otherwise, Saskpower’s outage line is 306-310-2220.
An outage like this is a wake-up call to be prepared. Homes should have battery-operated flashlights and non-perishable food. These days, having the ability to charge a cellphone off the grid is important. Having a generator, or knowing the closest community location with one, is a good idea. Saskpower has an app that can be downloaded, which features an outage map and will send updates and news to mobile devices.
For a bad situation to be turned into an opportunity for the province to show off its community spirit and resilience is a great way to cap off 2018.