Generator

We've lived here 27 years.  When we first moved in, we never used to lose our power.  But, as infrastructure has degenerated and the windstorms haven't stopped, we lose our power much more often.  Whenever the wind starts blowing (we've got a ton of trees around here), I start to worry.  I think I'm still traumatized from when we lost our power for 6 days during the 2006 Hanukah Eve Storm.  I joke that that a good thing about losing your power is that you no longer have to worry about losing your power.

People have started buy power generators.  So when they lose power, they can run some things until it comes back on  When the power goes out and it's dark and cold and nothing works, it's very annoying to hear all of these loud generators going on around you.  Makes me feel quite hostile.

My next door neighbor just bought one and he's working to set it up.  I'm on good terms with these neighbors.  They've been here even longer than us.  And we've all gone through some ups and downs together over the years.  Is this generator louder than all the rest?  It's really loud, I mean really loud.  I am not going to be happy when the power goes out and I have to listen to that thing.  I told him "that generator's too loud." 

It's a question of the commons here.  When your community is in crisis, and you can get temporary partial respite but really cause your neighbors annoyance and distress....is it worth it?  Where's the tipping point?  I don't know the answer.

All I can think of is to hope that, since he now has this generator, the power won't go out.

A picture of a generator, don't know if it's the same one, it's yellow though.