[pooh]

I have one, bought it when we came to Florida. When we lived in CA, we had underground utilities there, also. One day, the electricity went OUT...and it lasted long enough to ruin everything in the fridge and freezer...and I had just the day before shopped and stocked the appliance. At the time many of us were able to file a claim with San Diego Gas and Electric for reimbursement and luckily, I had receipts for everything new I bought. Older things had to be listed with approximate prices paid. I received payment for all foodstuffs lost, but everything in the fridge and freezer had to be thrown out...kind of a mess and resulted in lots of trash.

The generator sits in the garage and will be used to run the fridge if power is out long enough that food could be lost.

Is it necessary? Probably not....but having underground utilities doesn't mean they will never be out. Telephone service on our street was disrupted for almost a week for some fairly recently when lightning struck a Century Link box in a neighbors yard.