What a Maine Blizzard Taught Me About Backup Power
When the Power Goes Out: What a Maine Blizzard Taught Me About Backup Power
By Ashleigh Hinds
Personal Editorial | Hinds Energy
Editor’s Note: Sometimes our appreciation for reliable energy comes from personal experience. I’m sharing a winter storm experience from my time living on the Maine coast and how it shaped my perspective on propane, backup power, and preparing for the unexpected.
In February 2013, Winter Storm Nemo swept through New England, making national headlines as heavy snowfall, powerful winds, and widespread power outages disrupted communities across the region.
At the time, I was living with my Brittany Spaniel in Phippsburg, Maine, a small coastal community on a narrow peninsula surrounded by the Kennebec River and the waters of Casco Bay. It’s a beautiful place to live, but one that can feel especially remote when a major winter storm arrives.
If you’ve ever spent a winter along the Maine coast, you know how unforgiving the weather can be. But Nemo was a storm I wouldn’t soon forget.
The two of us were without utility power for an extended period. I remember what my neighbors were going through without electricity and how fortunate I felt to have two things working in our favor: propane and a portable gasoline-powered generator.
The Reality of Backup Power
Our generator made an enormous difference, but keeping it running was practically a job of its own.
A couple of times a day, I’d drive to a nearby gas station in Phippsburg to refill our gasoline supply. Between shoveling snow, looking after my four-legged companion, and making fuel runs, I certainly wasn’t bored!
Still, I was grateful. Propane provided an important source of energy, and our generator supplied the electricity needed to keep essential systems operating.
A Different Perspective Today
Years later, working at Hinds Energy, I look back on that experience with a different appreciation for modern propane-powered whole-home standby generators.
Unlike the portable generator I relied on in Maine, an automatic standby generator can detect a power outage and restore backup electricity without manual setup.
When properly sized and connected to an adequate propane supply, it can help keep heating systems, refrigeration, lighting, and other household essentials operating.
And perhaps my favorite difference? No more driving back and forth to the gas station multiple times a day in the middle of a winter storm.
Preparing for Winter in Northeastern Pennsylvania and Southern Tier New York
Here in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Southern Tier of New York, winter storms, ice, and high winds can create similar challenges, particularly for rural homeowners.
From Dalton, Waverly, Clarks Summit, and Scott Township to communities throughout Susquehanna, Bradford, and Wyoming counties, reliable backup power can make a tremendous difference.
The same holds true for homeowners in Apalachin, Owego, Newark Valley, and surrounding Tioga County, New York.
At Hinds Energy, we help homeowners explore propane solutions and Generac whole-home standby generators that provide automatic backup power when the unexpected happens.
Looking back on that winter in Maine, I’m still grateful we had the resources we did. I also know firsthand how much easier that experience could have been with an automatic standby generator.
We can’t control when the next storm arrives, but we can prepare for it.
Hinds Energy & Generac. Two Trusted Brands. One Reliable Solution.
Learn More About Generac Generators Here: https://hindsenergy.com/services/generators/
