The night the lights went out...

And the day as well. It's officially hurricane/rainy season in Merida, Mexico and the rains have come almost every day. Sometimes it's a nice little shower, other times it's an audition for Noah's Ark. I'm not complaining, we need the rain, as it was a very dry winter and spring here in Merida.

The only downside to the heavy rains is the loss of electricity. It's not a guarantee but it certainly happens enough that If I were a betting woman I could win a few bets on when it will occur. With that predictably comes some tips to help you make it through the "dark" minutes or hours.

1. During this season it's smart to keep electronics such as your laptop or cell phone charged. I rarely go below 50% before plugging in. I know you're thinking, but if you have no electricity your laptop won't be able to access the internet so why bother?. I can still work on projects that don't require internet, such as this blog post, in word. I also keep my Kindle charged so if nothing else I can read in watery sunshine or via the built in light.

2. Don't open the fridge! It's best to honestly just be still as the power could be out for 10 minutes to 10 hours. Preserve your groceries!

3. In some homes everything is attached to the electricity including the toilets or rather the water going to the toilets. That's right there may not be any water for the second flush, so maybe have a rule or two around when to flush because as stated the power could be out 10 minutes or 10 hours. Our gas stove also doesn't work in a power outage.

4. Disconnect or unplug items such as your TV. Typically the power will go off, come back on and then go back off. Rinse and repeat. Prevent surges and loss of your electronics by disconnecting from the power source if possible. Also turn off the AC units. The remotes will still register on or off.

5. Keep a supply of charged flashlights and readily available candles. We use chargeable flashlights and just ensure that they are charged. There is a flashlight and candle in all bedrooms in case the power goes out at night. We don't want anyone falling down the stairs in the dark while in search of a flashlight or candle.

6. Generators - if you plan on staying here long term a is a needed investment. Please learn how to maintain and use it correctly.

7. If your internet on your cell phone is still working keep abreast of the outage via the various Facebook groups and the local power company.

8. It's hot here and heat rises, quickly. Open a door or window if you can and congregate downstairs sooner than later. I've found that the longer I avoid moving to a cooler space the hotter I seem to remain after sitting in said cooler space.

Enjoy the forced disconnect and have fun with family or friends. It's a great time to talk, share some laughs and complain about all the power outages. Kat

#WanderingSoup #PowerOutagesInMexico #poweroutages