Jodi Bryant: Power outage brings First World problems

When the power's out, for some there's no getting out of the house.

COMMENT:

It makes you wonder how they ever coped in the "olden days", when an hour-long power outage today sends everyone into a frenzy.

I was no exception. With work nigh on impossible, I decided to use the break to go up to the supermarket and do the weekly shop.

Trouble was, when I went downstairs to the garage and pushed the garage door button there was no response, rendering me and the car trapped.

Well duh, I thought, slapping my forehead. Of course, it's going to be connected to the power, but how to open an automatic garage door manually? I flicked the light switch to investigate. No response – double-duh.

Pulling out my phone I typed in a Google search: How do I open the automatic garage door during a power cut?

Oh, it turns out there's an emergency cord hanging off the centre rail that you pull to disconnect.

I pulled the cord, then, gripping the door, and with some trepidation, heaved it up. I say
trepidation because, in the past, the movement of the door has been known to dislodge the odd cockroach, once one narrowly missing my head. However, any creepy-crawlies stayed in place this time and the door lurched into a slow and crooked ascent.

Wait, what? Crooked … actually, the door was now hanging at a precarious angle and not one I wanted to risk backing my car under. Ah yes, it would seem I'd been a little rip, s**t and bust and ripped the door off its tracks. Now I really was trapped.

I tried several times to reinstate the door, only managing to lift it a little higher on its crooked angle. Meanwhile, the power came back on and now I was hungry so took the plunge and zoomed out under it, leaving the house wide open while I shopped.

At the supermarket, it seemed all hell had broken loose during the power cut as, post power-re-instatement, usually calm staff buzzed around shouting orders to one another.

I returned home to find the house intact, albeit with an open and crooked garage door, before remembering a parent interview in town in one hour. It was time to call the professionals.

I was in luck and a garage door expert was kind enough to drop everything and come out and help when he heard my plight. It turned out I had not only dislodged the door, but ripped a hinge right off. God knows how.

But all was well and I made it to the interview with about 30 seconds to spare.

My haste to leave the house cost a small fortune and I don't trust myself not to do it again. Next time, I'll bus or walk.