Monday, August 2, 2010

We Have A Power Failure

Last night there was a big power failure in Mitzpe Ramon. Around 4:00 AM there were explosions on the power grid, as power transformers exploded around town. According to local folks, this was a result of the unusually high humidity we've been having the last few days, which soaked the dust in the transformers and turned their innards into a mud bath, causing them to short out. According to Hanny at the CafeNeto, the high tension lines are even sprayed with water by helicopters every 3 months or so to wash the dust off and keep them from exploding, too.

Our power was out for about two hours, but the rest of town was not so lucky. The town center, where most of the services including food are located, was without power until after noon, sending all the hungry tourists and locals to the CafeNeto to eat, the only food service that still had power in town.

I walked around town during the black out. The air was quite unpleasant, heavy with humidity and even a light fog covering the ground. It also remained quite warm after sunset, with little breeze to dispel the sullen air. It had been overcast the previous day, unusual for this time of year, and everywhere in Israel temperatures and humidity were way above normal. It seems that every building in town has an alarm that sounds when there is a power failure, and then there are the generators that start-up in critical facilities as electrical backup when the power fails. What a racket everything made. I couldn't get back to sleep until after 8:00!

Sunset after an overcast, hot and humid day in Mitzpe Ramon.

At least we have our air conditioning to keep us cool - as long as the power works.

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