I live in Cornwall, where we experienced the impact of storm Goretti. The storm hit two weeks ago leaving many homes in Cornwall without power, including broadband & in some cases water for either hours or days.
Two weeks later there are still a few homes without broadband connection.
I do wonder about the effects of storms in any part of the world & for those THS pet sitters working from home & what would surmount as a deal breaker for them to leave the sit.
I appreciate it’s a big question & the answer would not be the same for everyone but thought I’d open the discussion anyway.
So we are on a THS dog sit in SW Turkiye & have had very bad storms across the region for the last 48 hours. No power, heat, wifi, internet etc. If we left then we’d have to travel an awfully long way to escape it. Solution yesterday was hot water bottles, quick cold showers, power banks & big socks! Today we are back on but the electric is still going out intermittently. It comes with the territory over here so we simply stay and are patient. #turkishtales
Are you saying that you’ve been without broadband for two weeks and that might continue indefinitely as a telecommuter? If so, I doubt many employers or clients would be open to no work product and with limbo.
We have a few fun storm outages each year. So far, none have lasted more than 5 days though neighbors 200 yards away have gone without for 10+ days. When power is out over large areas, broadband can go down within 24 hours as the battery backups for the broadband cabinets fizzle out. It’s all very inconvenient not having 21st century services 24/7/365
One of the reasons for us having sitters during our absences is because stuff happens that requires a human presence to mitigate. We expect that sitters wouldn’t abandon a sit over temporary hardships no matter the inconvenience. For telecommuters, there are cozy coffee shops and public libraries with broadband access.
This varies, depending on the disaster or lesser occurrences. Like when Asheville, North Carolina, was hit last, there wasn’t even running water, much less electricity or broadband, in many homes or businesses/cafes/libraries for weeks in some cases. And there wasn’t clarity for a stretch on when service might be restored.
That’s why absolutes make no sense – situational circumstances can differ a lot. Plus, most telecommuters couldn’t go without working online for indefinite stretches. Best to discuss and consider mutually, depending on what host and sitter can coordinate.
We will all need to consider these climate issues more and more I think. Currently in various parts of Australia we are experiencing heatwave (over 40°C), floods and fires. All of which are life threatening. Trust me it’s still a great place to visit. Telecommuters will have to consider the risk carefully when choosing locations, certainly there are parts of the world where electricity is not a constant given.
If I were a remote worker for a company that would not accommodate me if caught up in an Asheville scale disaster, I can say with absolute certainty that my response to that employer can not be shared here due to community standards on offensive language.
Family, community, pets and me first. Soulless employers go behind the back of the line.
It would be one thing if you were a resident there vs. a voluntary sitter. Companies aren’t soulless or soulful. They need to generate value from employees and it’s reasonable for someone who’s a sitter to know when they can work vs. just hang on indefinitely. If you expect sitters to stick no matter what, that sounds unrealistic and entitled.
Telecommuters will have to consider the risk carefully when choosing locations, certainly there are parts of the world where electricity is not a constant given.