My town's power went out for a full day during a heatwave

It was 102 degrees in Phoenix last Thursday, and our whole block lost electricity from noon until midnight. We had to use a battery pack to keep a fan going and ended up talking with neighbors outside instead of blasting the AC. What's your backup plan for staying cool without cranking the power?

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3 Comments

henrycooper6mo ago

Ever think a power outage could be a good thing? I used to panic at the idea of no AC, but last summer ours went out and we did the same thing, just sat outside with everyone. It completely changed how I see it. Now I keep a couple of those big jugs of water frozen solid in the freezer. If the power dies, you can put one in front of a battery fan or just have it in the room, and it really knocks the edge off the heat. It's a stupid simple fix that actually works.

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riley_taylor6mo ago

That frozen jug trick works great for a few hours, but it can backfire if your outage lasts longer. Once that ice melts, you've got a giant block of water warming up in your house, which actually adds humidity and makes the heat feel worse. It's better for short term relief while you figure out real plans, like going to a cooling center.

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blake6916mo ago

My cousin in Phoenix tried the jug thing during a three day blackout last July. By day two his living room felt like a swamp and he said the smell of warm plastic was worse than the heat. It's a solid plan if you're just waiting for the AC repair guy, not if you're prepping for the apocalypse. Honestly if the power's out that long I'm just gonna live in my car with the AC on until the gas runs out.

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