Excuse the pun, but being in the dark helped shed light on some very important issues for me.

While officials on both sides of the border were scratching their heads over the Great Blackout of 2003 and playing the blame game, my roommates and I were busy playing the find-a-new-house-because-ours-burned-down game. Yes, that's right.

A week before classes were to begin, I had to be worried about more than what kind of debauchery I might indulge in during Welcome Weekend. I was throwing away burnt furniture, cleaning smoky clothes and trying to find a new place to live.

East Lansing was luckier than most cities affected by the blackout last week. The power was only out for about 12 hours. My roommates were relieved when the electricity came back on; the house was dark and muggy and they could finally turn their fans back on.

But relief was replaced by utter chaos around 3 a.m. when suddenly smoke alarms were screaming.

The return of electricity to the old wiring system in the house had caused a power surge which in turn caused a fire to start smoldering in the basement. My roommates barely had time to escape. They stood in the street, watching in disbelief as smoke poured out of every window of our home.

A fireman told one of my roommates that she was lucky to be alive and he doubted the house would be left standing. I was at my parents' house at the time of the blackout, annoyed that I could not watch the movie I had just rented. I drove through my hometown, laughing at the confusion as people stared blankly at cell phones with no service or attempted to go into stores that were closed.

That night I slept peacefully without the hum of radios or television - completely unaware that my home in East Lansing was burning down while I dreamed.

What bothers me is that the fire might have been prevented. After too many pointless accusations, the United States and Canada have put together a "task force" to determine the cause of the blackout and prevent future ones. That's fine on a national scale, but what about being prepared on an individual level?

The task force should worry about more than power grids and pointing fingers.

People need to be educated about the severity of problems that can occur when the lights go out.

I'm the perfect example: after my initial disappointment over a spoiled movie night, I thought it would be kind of fun to sit around and play guitar by candlelight.

I didn't realize that I should have been trying to contact my roommates in East Lansing to make sure that every appliance was unplugged. Had we known the standard safety procedures for a blackout, we might have saved ourselves a lot of money and trouble.

In the nine days since the fire, I have told the story at least a hundred times. Everyone reacts with the same shock and sympathy when I tell them of our misfortune.

But I want people to be more than sympathetic. I want people to learn something from the incident - because I sure did.

The first thing I learned was how much stuff I have - or used to have. Ruined items had to be documented to be claimed for insurance purposes and salvageable items had to be thoroughly cleaned. So there I was, throwing away books and chairs and pillows and realizing that I didn't need half of it.

What did I need seven tapestries for? Or three backpacks? How did I manage to accumulate all this junk?

I was luckier than my roommate. The fire had remained contained in the basement where just two days earlier he had moved in.

He escaped with only the clothes on his back, and hours later was walking through the charred remains of what had once been his possessions.

When I saw his blackened laptop melted to his coffee table, suddenly my frustration over not being able to use my cell phone for a few hours seemed pretty shallow.

I've also learned how vulnerable we all are. Nationally, it's frightening that our power system is susceptible to such a huge shut down.

Locally, it worries me that individuals in the community might not be prepared for easily preventable disasters.

So here I am, almost two weeks after my house went up in flames, being a regular Smokey Bear.

I just don't want anyone else to go through what we did. To say that it sucked is an understatement. If I've held your attention this long, you'll be happy to know that we're in a new house that has working smoke alarms (all checked by me, of course).

My hands still reek of professional cleaning chemicals and occasionally, if the breeze blows just right, I can smell the faint odor of "burning" wafting off of our salvaged furniture. And yeah, I still enjoy playing guitar by candlelight - I'm just extra careful with the flame. It might take months for the national task force to find solutions to prevent future electrical problems on a large scale.

Be your own task force - educate yourself and be cautious. And remember, only you can prevent house fires.

Emily Bingham is a State News intern. She can be reached at binghame@msu.edu.