Updated September 2026: in 2018 I continued my account of the first day of the 2015 Chennai floods, when I was alone at home, streaming videos from one laptop while another ran, until the power went off. I have rewritten it into advice on living alone through a flood or long outage.
With no work on the first day of the heavy rain, I opened my MacBook Pro and cast YouTube videos to the TV. The maid came late, cleaned, washed the dishes, cooked rice and left around 10:30am. We talked about how bad the rain was and hoped it would stop by the next morning. I asked her to be careful, as it was getting heavier by the hour. My parents were in our home town and I was alone in Chennai. The power went off around 11:30am, and I had been running two laptops all morning.
What is different about facing an outage alone?
There is no one to share tasks or check on you. Your phone becomes your lifeline, so its battery matters more than anything else you own.
What should you save battery for?
- Your phone first: for calls, messages and news.
- One laptop at most: kept charged for work or as a power source for the phone via USB.
- Power banks: fully charged before the rain starts.
- A torch, not the phone's light: the phone torch drains battery quickly.
Who should know you are alone?
Family, a neighbour and your manager. Agree a time to check in each day, and tell them where you are in the building. In a flood, neighbours on higher floors are often the fastest help.
What about household help and neighbours?
Let them go home early and safely. In 2015 many people were stranded because they waited too long to leave. Share food and water with neighbours if the outage lasts; it makes the days easier for everyone.
What would I do differently?
Charge everything the evening before, keep entertainment for later in the day, and treat the first hours of power as the time to prepare rather than to relax.