[arunima]

And that's our city today. We got the alert in the newspaper yesterday and also as an official communication from our residents association. They were diligent enough to convey it in all possible ways, notice board, mail, on WhatsApp group and even personally calling each house. They city municipal corporation is laying down some new pipelines and repairing old ones. So, it's the kaveri water pipeline work. Kaveri, the river is the lifeline and main source of water for the state. So, they start with south of the city and our area is the one impacted today. Have finished all water related work and even stored enough to last for a day.
Does it happen at your place too? What is the longest that you have stayed without water supply and managed with stored water?

[OldGuy]

Our region was hit with a major hurricane this past September. We lost power, water, internet and cell service and were trapped for more than a week without even being able to go anywhere due to downed trees. We could not even let anyone know we were OK.

Our apartment complex was surrounded by extensive damage. Businesses and homes were torn to shreds and several people died. We lost all services, but other than that we were just fine. Electric power was restored for us in about a week. Cell service was spotty. Some carriers worked but most connections ended with "We cannot complete your call right now. Please try your call again later." That went on for a couple of weeks. We finally got water service after the first month but many areas went for nearly 6 months. My internet finally was restored after 48 days.

It just so happens I have been stockpiling for a few years. I had more than enough groceries and bottled water to serve the entire apartment complex for the duration. I have a portable solar system and was able to charge everyone's electronic devices until power was restored including one lady's medical device.

Some people are still not fully restored and repairs are still ongoing. We just lucked out with little more than lost services and some inconvenience.

[ptrikha21]

One day plus is a very long time. Here, in case of water issues, tankers come in.
However, there are places which face bigger water issues.
I hope that with the new pipelines prove to be good for your place.

[Tendz]

Good thinking on getting all the water related work done and storing enough ahead of time. Hope the pipeline work gets completed smoothly and things are back to normal soon.

[arunima]

@OldGuy. That's a long time. And there are many still waiting for normalcy to return. Well, natural disasters teach us to survive in whatever little we have.
We were prepared but the water didn't stop at all. The water supply was cut and resumed as said. Our apartment tank had enough water for 2 days. All the residents behaved responsibly and used the water judiciously. Now, the supply is back.

[Fergal]

I have a portable solar system and was able to charge everyone's electronic devices

That sounds great, are they expensive? What type of one do you have?

[OldGuy]

I have a portable solar system and was able to charge everyone's electronic devices

That sounds great, are they expensive? What type of one do you have?

I have a Yeti 1500 Solar Power Station
https://goalzero.com/products/goal-zero ... er-station

When I purchased the unit, it came with 4 portable solar panels, about 2 ft by 4 ft in size. They folded out to work in unison to collect solar power. Problem was that even in full sun, they only collected something around 35 to 40 watts on a steady basis. It took 2 to 3 days to charge up the power station.

I traded the portable collector panels for a single 4 ft by 8 ft roof panel. That thing runs up to 300 watts charging on full sunny days. Rather than just using it for emergency backup, I use it all the time to run most of the stuff I regularly use in the house. I can even switch the refrigerator to run on solar on full sunny days.

According to our local electric provider, the average home in our region paid about $150 per month for electric service but there has been a recent rate increase. I had been averaging $28 to $30 per month since I bought this thing. Savings are not just from this but also very careful use of power. Even with the recent increases in rates, I am still seeing bills around $40 per month.

In my opinion and experience, a solar power station is a far better option than a gas generator since it creates free power and can be used all the time. A gas generator requires fuel and is much more expensive to use. A Gas generator is only good for emergencies if you can even start them after sitting idle for months, makes a lot of noise and creates dangerous fumes. I had one of those for a few years before switching to solar. Solar is a no brainer option.

[nakitakona]

Ours is longer than yours. It's 2 days that our water supply is cut off due explosive eruption of pur active volcano. So we worry so much where to get our drinking not so much with our washing water for we have neighbor who has a deep well.

Our City Mayor is very resourceful. He taps the neighboring local government units to supply us the drinking water. Volume of gallons of mineral water has arrived and they're distributed to the barangay for the punong barangay will take charge of rationing it to every family households.

[Fergal]

I have a Yeti 1500 Solar Power Station
https://goalzero.com/products/goal-zero ... er-station

That looks great OldGuy, thanks very much for sharing all those details. That's a great use of solar and I'm glad it was so helpful when there was an emergency in your area.

[Jem Smith]

We've been without water for a few days. Once there was a week when there was water but it wasn't safe to drink because there was very severe flooding (a third of the state was under water and it's a very big state, bigger than some countries) and the sewer lines leaked into the water supply. We used boiled water for bathing. There was an outbreak of gastroenteritis across my city.