The Tribune

By ALICIA WALLACE

Summer is over, schools are open, and the electricity outages continue. There always seems to be an issue. From wind and rain to the heat resulting in greater demand for electricity that the grid cannot meet, the weather conditions are often not in our favor. Add to that the lightning strikes and fires, and we get this experience—complete energy insecurity. There is no telling when an outage will occur, how long it will be, or when we will be out of this hell, thanks to old infrastructure and the failure to develop and implement a plan for sustainable energy in a country with full-time sunshine.

When the electricity goes off, it is not even much of a surprise. In fact, that it is not surprising, though it comes without warning, just may be the main factor that makes it upsetting. Infrequent interruptions would be more of a surprise and less of an infuriating experience because it would feel so much less like we, as consumers, do not matter.

As the hours tick by, during an electricity outage, many of us ask ourselves and the people around us, often with expletives, “What are we supposed to do?” Well, here is handy guide to passing the hours of an unexpected electricity outage.

Hour 1. Check all battery levels. Check your electronic devices and carefully ration the time you have to use them. Use one device to check the BPL WhatsApp channel for any updates. The estimated restoration time provided may or may not help you with the battery usage calculations. Without using your devices, make a plan for the expected hours of no electricity. Maybe you need to check on your elderly family members. If it is during the hottest hours of the day, it may be a good idea to do a slow grocery shop, in air conditioning. What about that one friend, with a generator, who you have not seen in a long time? It just might be a good day for a catchup.

Hour 2. Commiserate. The fact is that complaining—and being met in the complaining by at least one other person—feels good, though only for a short time. Jumping into complaint mode in the first hour is not advisable as it can go on for quite a while, distracting us from the tasks that really need our attention. It is fine to have a brief, “Well, what is this today,” in the first hour, but let some time pass before allowing yourself to get worked up. It will be all the more gratifying to verbalize the frustration after sitting in it for an hour.

Hour 2. Be social by actually talking to people. When the electricity is on, we focus on what we need to get done for work. Some, of course, spend time scrolling social media. Without electricity, our activities change. You may want to lean more heavily into your digital activities, but remember that battery life does not last forever, and there is a real world with real people around you. Talk to someone. This could be an opportunity to have a meaningful conversation with your partner, child, parent, coworker, or neighbor. Ask someone how they are really doing. Be specific in your question and demonstrate genuine interest in their life. Did they get that car issue sorted out? How is the first month back from maternity leave going? Did they try that recipe you sent the other day? Where did they go for vacation? Is there anything they need extra help with at school? Give someone space to share and be a good listener by letting them speak without interruption, asking follow-up questions, and expressing gratitude for their sharing.

Hour 3. Stave off hunger. It is probably too hot to cook. Opening the fridge is not a good idea since you want to minimize spoilage. Distract yourself from your human needs. Consider going to sleep. If you cannot get comfortable enough to sleep, check the cupboards. There must be a ready-to-eat snack in there somewhere. If not, it is time to make a grocery list. You must always have food items ready for electricity outages since they are happening very frequently and for hours at a time.

Hour 4. Use writing tools. You may want to post a rant on Facebook, but can you give up that much battery life from your device? Who knows how long the electricity will be off this time? The rant can wait. You will be just as frustrated on hour four, five, six, or 10, and the rant you post then will probably be even better. Instead of reaching for a device, put pen to paper. English Language classes forced you to write in drafts, and now you get to put that practice to good use. When was the last time you wrote more than a few words on a piece of paper anyway? Get reacquainted with your own handwriting.

Hour 5. Touch grass. By now, you are probably getting quite agitated. If it is daylight, go outside. Get some fresh air. Even if it is hot, just two minutes of the sun on your skin can lift your mood and give you a bit of an energy boost. Observe your surroundings. Look at the flowers, focusing on shape and color. Take note of the shape of the petals and the size of the leaves. Are there any two that look almost exactly the same? Look at the trees. How many of them bear fruit? Are there clouds in the sky today? What images do you see in the clouds? If you created the world, what would you have done differently?

Hour 6. Go old school. It is probably time to eat a proper meal. Before opening the fridge, think about what is in there. Do you have leftovers just waiting to be popped into the microwave? No such convenience will be afforded to you right now, but this is an opportunity. Have you ever seen someone heat a plate of food on the stove? As long as you have a gas stove, you can make this work. Quickly open the fridge, remove the leftovers, and ensure that you close the fridge door properly. Transfer the food from the food storage container to a proper plate that can withstand the heat. Put water into a pot, place it on a burner, and turn the burner to a low to medium flame. Sit the plate atop the pot and wait for the food in it to heat. You could also transfer to the food directly to a pot or pan and heat it in a more conventional way, but that may be faster and make you more aware of the hours as they go by.

Six hours without electricity is beyond ridiculous. Beyond this point, it may be time to write (or type) a letter to the editor of a newspaper, your member of parliament, and/or the Minister of Energy and Transport. It may be time to call people in your circle and plan collective action. It may be time to make your own financial plan to transition to solar energy in your home. It may be time leave complaining behind and use your power, the power of your network, and the power in numbers in demand action to change this absurd situation. There is no excuse for the complete failure of the government to address the energy crisis, particularly as the Prime Minister has consistently attempted to position himself as some kind of climate champion. The solutions are not mysteries to us. They are simply not being implemented. We, the people, must compel the government, through our actions, to solve the problem.

Recommendations

1.Kin by Tayari Jones. Join Feminist Book Club, hosted by Equality Bahamas and Poinciana Paper Press, is reading Kin, the latest book by the author of the bestselling novel An American Marriage. People said, “Jones’s dazzling novel traces the complex range of the Black experience—rich and poor, queer and straight, blessed and cursed—in the Jim Crow South.” Kin was a 2026 Kirukus Prize for Fiction finalist. The publisher says, “A novel about mothers and daughters, friendship and sisterhood, and the complexities of being a woman in the American South, Kin is an exuberant, emotionally rich, unforgettable work from one of the brightest and most irresistible voices in contemporary fiction.” Get your copy of the book and join the meeting on Wednesday, October 28 at 6pm to discuss it. Register to receive Feminist Book Club updates and meeting information at tiny.cc/fbc2026.

1.Conference on Trauma, Healing, and Social Transformation. Hosted by the University of The Bahamas schools of Fine Arts and Humanities and Social Sciences and the Bahamas National Reparations Committee, the conference will be held from October 1 to 4 with most sessions taking place in the Harry C. Moore Library Auditorium. The keynote address, entitled “I Want My People to Be Free: Reparations As Wellness, A Case for Bahamian Emancipation” will be delivered by Chair of the Bahamas National Reparations Committee Niambi Hall Campbell Dean, PhD on Thursday, October 1 at 7pm.