Yeah, it was strange. Even my housemate from Kazakhstan was shocked, as were his relatives back home. "That doesn't even happen here!?"
People seem to have convinced themselves last winter's misery was all a result of the failure of the Holyrood Generating Station, and a storm that knocked out power. That's certainly true, for the worst of it - but they've forgotten the rolling blackouts started well before either of those problems. Those things simply knocked out power. But we were being asked long before that to tolerate having the power turned off for approximately one hour at a time, each neighbourhood in rotation. We just couldn't meet the demand generated by the cold temperatures. It's never stayed so cold for so long as last winter. In an average winter, we only spend 11.3 consecutive days below freezing. Last winter, we either did or nearly broke the record of 28.
The province is taking emergency measures now and installing a second generator at Holyrood, which powers St. John's. It's a stop gap measure until the Lower Churchill is supplying the island with electricity.
They let it get this bad, I think, while distracted by trying to win Churchill Falls. They put all their eggs into winning that basket and we've not done so yet - now, with the population explosion on the northeast Avalon, we can't keep up with it all. Most of our utilities are straining right now.
And we're the lucky ones, obviously, as the capital. The town of Grand Bank literally had to shut off its municipal water supply today. There's none left for them to use.
Quote:
Rex Matthews, the mayor of Grand Bank, said the situation is something he hadn't anticipated happening in the area.
"Normally, the rainfall is probably sometimes more than what we need — that's always been the case for as long as I can remember. But to go months without any precipitation in this area of the province, it's unheard of," he said.
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Soon, though, it should all be well and good.
Hopefully no more of this. Here we are, last winter, walking - me wrapped up in a blanket over my winter clothes (it was below -10C) - to the Celtic Hearth, which the grapevine said still had power. It did, for a few minutes. Then we had to go to a City Hall shelter.