Living rural means having a generator on standby. I can't imagine not having an alternate power source available. We have lost power for over a week at a time in the past. We even have power disruptions in good weather...probably once a month, although those events are normally ten minutes or less. Our past experiences have taught us that electricity is a wonderful resource, but it isn't a totally dependable one.
Besides, one can't help feeling very smug, puffing away on a pipe, and watching news reports about all the unfortunate souls battling food/water/power outages. :lol: