Power outages in Brasil

The reality of a power outage in my hometown

In Brazil, power outages are a common occurrence. The frequency and duration of these outages depend on the location in the country. Sometimes you see a tangle of cables tied together under a gutter on a street corner, making you wonder how an electrician can keep it all straight. Lightning strikes are frequent, and when they cause outages, the repairs don't take as long.

How the outage started

Last Saturday, our power went out at 10:00 in the morning. A truck from the water company hit an electric pole while making a U-turn, causing it to break and fall. This time, the repairs lasted until shortly after midnight.

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Challenges in the Repair: Rocks and Stones

It took so long because the ground where the new pole had to be installed was full of rocks and large stones. It is almost impossible to drill a proper hole with an auger. Eventually, it was decided to place the new pole in the median strip. It was easier to drill a hole there.

Living Without Power: An Evening by Candlelight

It’s something different, preparing a snack in a dark kitchen and spending an evening by candlelight. One nice side effect: to avoid relying on charging stations for our smartphones on our next vacation, we had bought two battery packs. We were able to try them out now.

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