BLACKOUT 101: g’s Collegiate Guide to Surviving Blackouts
by Mara S. Miano on August 11, 2010
Photo by Patricia Mendoza
“’Pag may bagyo, college lang ang may pasok. Ano tingin niyo sa’min,waterproof?”
We all know how harsh the Philippine educational system is on college students during typhoons. They expect us to drive through floody, obstructed roads, wade through water and magically still come to class on time.
Remember Ondoy? It took hours before DepEd suspended classes in the college level, and this resulted to hundreds of students stranded in school. A friend from UP shared how she literally swam— as in freestyle stroke— through a flooded building that day just to take an exam because her professor still required them to.
It also isn’t any easier on Ateneans, what with our muddy grass fields and faraway buildings and open areas. Here in the Ateneo, it has become acceptable to see people come to class soaking wet, and to share umbrellas with complete strangers.
As if that isn’t difficult enough, sometimes Mother Nature likes to take it to the next level and bestow us with nationwide blackouts. No electricity, no light, no Internet and a paper due the next day—it’s the college student’s ultimate nightmare.
The peak of the rainy season has come, and to prepare you for these stress-inducing situations, g gives you the only guide you’ll need to get through the next few months dry and calm.
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Omni Emergency Lights
Three words: Omni Emergency Light
Did you know that using candles during blackouts is a frequent cause of fires in the Philippines? And flashlights? Please, they are so three years ago. The more modern era gifts us with the Omni Emergency Light— a godsend battery-operated lamp that automatically goes on during power outages. All you do is charge it (when there’s electricity of course), and when electricity goes out, it flashes 9 watts of bright white fluorescent light for approximately 4 to 5 hours. No more blindly flailing your arms looking for your AA batteries! It’s a life saver, and it’s perfect for those who live in dorms and condominiums.
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Go old school.
Paper due the next day? Grab your pen and pad paper, and start writing. Most people actually find it easier to brainstorm when they’re writing on paper, and once you have your draft, it’s just easy to type it on your laptop when the power goes back on. If the power doesn’t go back on, well, at least you still have something to submit to your prof.
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Oversized fans from Beabo
Supersize!
Located on the 2nd floor of the Eastwood Mall and on the 3rd floor of the Powerplant Mall is a store called Beabo that sells oversize hand fans. They’re much more efficient than the normal-sized ones, and they’ll come handy not only in blackouts, but also in school during those really hot, sunny days.
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Don’t be a spoiler.
Be careful with eating food in the fridge after a blackout. The trapped moisture in the refrigerator makes the fridge the perfect place for bacteria and germs. Believe me, during a blackout, food poisoning and diarrhea are the last things you want to worry about unless you’re a-okay with going number two in the dark.
