Don’t assume power never trips in Singapore.
My block lost power earlier today, around 11.20am, just as I was about to make my second espresso of the day. Neighbours were out and about, checking with each other.
I took the stairs to the first floor to check if other blocks were affected. Seems like the entire area was affected because other blocks lost power too.
Some were stuck in the lift and were banging the door and pressing the emergency bell. A few of us tried to reassure people stuck inside that help was coming.
Then before the lift rescue team came, power was restored.
Downstairs, I met the cleaner who cleans our blocks. He was in his civvies.
He told me he was going back to Bangladesh.
“Oh!” I said, “Going back for good?”
“14 days. On leave,” he smiled.
“Ah good, good! Enjoy seeing your family and loved ones!,” I said, shaking his hand.
He smiled and thanked me.
The whole power failure thing lasted about 10-15 minutes.
Later, I climbed the stairs back to my flat, even though power seemed to be back, and the lifts were working.
A young lady was going down the stairs, as I was climbing up, and we both agreed it was best to use the stairs first, because the power just came back on, and we were not sure if it would trip again.
With the son’s help, I turned the circuit breakers in the home back on, one at a time.
I heard the power failure affected a wider area than I initially thought. As far as Hougang and Sengkang.
I wonder what happened. But we do take a lot for granted here. I am thankful the power was restored so quickly. Maybe it’s time to get a UPS for the computers and the router. Or more importantly, for my coffee machine.
