Power Outages: 8 Things Western New Yorkers Can Do

It's that time of year: power outages for those who live in wWstern New York and around the globe start popping up all over the place.

For those of us who were at the Buffalo Bills game a few Sundays ago, it was a weird moment when the power went out in the middle of the game. Behind the scenes, it was not as chaotic as you might guess.

I have the pleasure of being the public address announcer for the Buffalo Bills on game day. When the power went off briefly at the stadium it was just a matter of waiting for systems to reboot so things could get back online. Watching from home, I wonder how many of you were wondering if it was a cable issue, or if someone in the house changed the channel or somehow affected the power to the TV.

The most recent outage was Facebook and Instagram going down. There are some who are so connected to social media it was a rough few hours on Monday night.

But just imagine what life was like before social media and when we didn’t rely on electronics and technology as much as we do today. what did people do? How are they entertained?

I put together a quick list of some things just off the top of my head that anyone can do when there is a power outage at your house.

I am the kind of person who can’t sit still and tries to stay productive no matter what the scenario might be. Even though we are blessed to have the technology and power on a regular basis, I prefer to do things either outside or without a constant connection to the Internet and social media.

Some of these ideas may help you get reconnected with your family or get some things done around the house that you’ve been meaning to. You don’t have to wait for the next social media or electric outage to take advantage of being productive.