People living on the Pearl are happily warming up their coffee makers and taking hot showers again after power was restored to the island this morning.

Power has been restored to all areas affected by the outage in @ThePearlQatar. Thank you for your patience. #KAHRAMAA

— KAHRAMAA (@kahramaa) March 2, 2016

Not everyone has come online yet, but many in Porto Arabia, Medina Centrale and Viva Bahriya said they have power now.

Thousands had expressed anger after being without electricity and some without water since 7am yesterday after a cable was damaged, according to Kahramaa.

Crews from the utilities provider had worked feverishly for the past 25 hours to repair the cable, which is located under the Al Kharaitiyat Bridge near IKEA.

For many, the lack of power was inconvenient, but livable with a few candles and takeout meals.

Residents of one tower in Porto Arabia that is managed by Al Fardan Properties were given food catered from the Kempinski.

But for others, especially those small children and people without water or working elevators, the night was more difficult.

Learning experience

Many Pearl residents chose to spend the night in a hotel while the power was still out. The recently-opened Shangri La hotel in West Bay had offered a 50 percent discount on bed, breakfast and a buffet dinner for all Pearl residents, and it quickly filled up.

The nearby Grand Hyatt hotel was also fully booked last night, a representative told Doha News.

Other residents stayed at the Ritz Carlton, although it did not offer any special rates for those affected by the black-out.

A spokesman for the island’s only hotel, the Marsa Malaz Kempinksi, said the building maintained power through the night using generators. The hotel’s main phone lines are also operating again, he added.

Now that the power is back on, many are hoping that management at the Pearl and elsewhere take this as a learning experience.

In a comment to UDC on the Pearl’s Facebook page, Erdal Yazicioglu said:

“Guys thank you. We still don’t have power but we know we will. This was a very bad risk management and I am really surprised that whole island is running on a single physical route.

Same applies for exit roads from the island. You should turn this unfortunate event to a opportunity. You need to listen residents to improve you services such loud cards, Unrespectful drivers, your emergency evacuation etc etc. Every thunderstorm is followed by a clear sky.”

What’s the first thing you did when the power came back on? Thoughts?