In freezing temperatures, it is uncomfortable when hot water or electricity fail. Unlike in Ukraine, however, problems are usually resolved quickly.
D The big blackout in Berlin happened only a few weeks ago. In Ukraine, it continues, combined with airstrikes and biting frost. Those who work daily with these headlines think more about their own life. And about the fragility of the energy supply on which this life depends. At home, hot water was out for several days in January. That was already unpleasant.
My bed sits directly above the heating room in the basement. The boiler, which had failed several times before, made alarming noises. Sleep was out of the question. And so I wondered how we would actually heat the apartment if the power went out as well. Catastrophic thoughts, you know.
The temperatures in Berlin were far below freezing. Even in the night I ordered a power bank, strong LED flashlights, and a camping stove. For all eventualities. I briefly also thought about water canisters, but my husband, whom I told this to the next day, said they could simply be bought at a hardware store.
At our home, hot water was out for a few days in January. That was already unpleasant
Not even a week later, a lake formed in front of our house in the middle of the day. A water pipe had burst. In the building’s chat, the neighbors coordinated the necessary activities. Call the fire department, contact the superintendent, check whether the basement is still dry. I asked my husband on the phone to fill the bathtub.
When I came home late in the evening, a bulldozer stood in the front yard. Men in work clothes, illuminated by two bright spotlights. By around ten o’clock at night, water began flowing from the tap again. Flashlights, a power bank, and a camping stove had arrived that day as well. Earlier that afternoon I had ordered the canisters.
In Kyiv, people meanwhile expect that before spring many pipelines will no longer be repairable. With the frost still biting.
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