We finally got to use our "new" generator! We bought it four years ago in case of a sudden, long electric outage, and the occasion finally arrived. Our electricity is generally turned off all day about once a month by the electric company for servicing, and it occasionally goes off for several hours during the day for what we assume to be some type of local connection being installed, whether legal or illegal. But these outages aren't long enough to worry about losing the food in our refrigerators.
On Monday night, however, there was a big, windy thunderstorm, and the lights went out. We scurried around to find flashlights and candles. By morning, still nothing. In fact, our cell phones also had no success making any calls, probably because the system was overwhelmed by people trying to call and use the cell phone company's internet service. So we had no communication about what was happening. Michael brought our generator up to the patio outside the kitchen, plugging in our refrigerators for several hours, as well as charging our cell phones and flashlights.
In the afternoon, we drove to a gas station to refill our two gas cans. In the evening, Michael started up the generator again to run the refrigerators, as well as run some lights in the kitchen and use the microwave. But finally, at 10:30 p.m., the electricity came back on after being off for 27 hours!
Once our internet came back, we discovered that a tree had fallen in a nearby ravine and had taken out the power line to the entire town of Chichicastenango and its surrounding communities. We are so thankful for our generator!