How about a storm thread.

[280plus]

So you managed to get slammed by the water, we got the wind. I'm on the aforementioned Coleman generator as we speak. 5000 watts seems to be a fair amount of juice. The fridge makes a tiny drag on it when it starts but other than that the thing hasn't been doing any significant work at all. Approximately 1,000,000 in NE without power last time I heard. Cable is out now too.    It held in there after the juice went out but was down this morning. Phone and hence dsl, is up so here I am. getting it back could be a few days. Could be 10 minutes from now. I got "coms" in my office back up so the next priority is to rig the water pump to run off the generator. Off to the electrical supply house. Figure I'll rig it so if there is a next time I can just plug it in. Got ~ 12 hours continuous on it right now. Probably used 4 gallons.

Other than the power very few ill effects. No big trees fell on the house. They are both pines at 45-50 ft. They hardly bent at all. Stood up very well. I expected to lose them because they are out in the open by themselves. They didn't seemed to even notice there was a storm. The entire back yard is covered in about 4'" of green leaves. Very wierd.

Correction, the backyard WAS covered with about 4" of leaves. They blew somewhere else overnight. Very few left. Yay! 

[Perd Hapley]

Was facebook damaged?

Well played.

[280plus]

yup, got me 75 feet of #12/3 SJ cord and strung it to the water pump switch and wired it up all fancy like. Not a twistlok 240/125V plug for the generator end to be found anywhere. Local supply shop has backordered 511 since friday and they weren't open saturday. Yes, not a typo, 511.

So, who needs a stinking plug anyways? Jammin' the bare wire in there still works.  So now there's water. Next I guess would be HOT water. Sigh...

From what I saw in town and around town. Power will be down for a while. 

[makattak]

Looks like the storm got me and I didn't even know it.

The entirety of our family (in-laws, my parents and sister, even a great grandmother) were going to Hatteras Island to celebrate my daughter's first birthday.

US 12 is COMPLETELY washed out at multiple points along Hatteras Island.

I'm now furiously trying to find another suitable house north of Hatteras. Disappointingly, we were looking forward to being able to visit the Ocracoke beaches while down there.

[Jocassee]

My old stomping grounds along Rte 30 in VT are or were pretty much underwater. Brandon, Killington, Castleton, and Hubbardton all had heavy floods that completely washed out main roads, bridges, and restaurants.

[280plus]

Good God, Please don't tell me the Long Trail Brewery washed away. Plus I'm thinking of all those covered bridges on that same river. Woodstock VT?

[mtnbkr]

Looks like the storm got me and I didn't even know it.

The entirety of our family (in-laws, my parents and sister, even a great grandmother) were going to Hatteras Island to celebrate my daughter's first birthday.

US 12 is COMPLETELY washed out at multiple points along Hatteras Island.

I'm now furiously trying to find another suitable house north of Hatteras. Disappointingly, we were looking forward to being able to visit the Ocracoke beaches while down there.

What about further South, hitting OBX from below Ocracoke?  There's a ferry from Cedar Island to Okracoke.

Chris

[makattak]

What about further South, hitting OBX from below Ocracoke?  There's a ferry from Cedar Island to Okracoke.

Chris

That's possible, but early reports are that US 12 had parts washed out on Ocracoke as well. Making access to Ocracoke possible, but not the ferry to Hatteras.

[Triphammer]

5-11? Are you sure. 5kw generator twist-loc should be an L14-30, Maybe an L14-20 ( Twistloc 125/230-20 or 30 amp. A "5" denotes a 125 configuration, "6" 230 , "14 is 125/230 & "15" is 3phase w/ ground.)L denotes twist loc. No "L" is straight blade.

[RocketMan]

Trip, I think he meant they had 511 individual plugs on backorder, not the plug type.  Yowza, that's a lot!

[mtnbkr]

That's possible, but early reports are that US 12 had parts washed out on Ocracoke as well. Making access to Ocracoke possible, but not the ferry to Hatteras.

Entirely possible.  The southern portions of Hatteras are low, narrow, and easy to wash out.

There's always Virginia Beach... 

Chris

[280plus]

He said "4 prong and 3 prong twistloks" he checked the one I was looking for. The 20 amop I think, that's where he found 511 backordered. Evrybody is on the "backfeed" bandwagon. I just wanted to be able to run my water. Which I am. Still no power. Rumor is 7-10 days. Them MRE's are coming in handy. No stove. Saves firing up the grill / charcoal. Plus if you're brave enough to open it up and look at it before it's hot you can just microwave it. Looks like dog food coming out of the can. 

Got the wife to eat it. We had captain's chicken, noodles in butter flavored sauce and rice pilaf. Yuuuum yum...

 

[vaskidmark]

Local library just opened as they got power this AM.  I've been camping out down the road since Saturday at the motel next to Hooters as they (motel and Hooters) did not lose power and I need it to run the machines that keep me alive at night.  Headed for home later today to pull stuff out of the refrigerator/freezer and donate it to the buzzard-feeding station (landfill).

Local cable company is NOT running so I cannot be entertained by All Hurricane All The Time reports.  I'll refresh my reading options before I leave the library and survive for a few more days.

Power is slowly coming back around here.  Actually, they are moving fairly quickly.  My immediate area has about 3 poles down so I may not get power back till Friday or Saturday unless I get real lucky.

Lines at the fast-food places that had power were doubled around the buildings on Saturday & Sunday, but are almost like normal today.  I'm either microwaving stuff I salvaged Sunday or making sammiches from the stuff that I took from the fridge.

Just saw a friend from down the street - rumor has it that two generators were stolen in our little neck of the woods so far.  Which is why I did not have one - it would be too exposed and too risky to try and run in the locked shed.  Too bad most folks around here do not have the means or inclination to keep an eye out for their stuff and each other.

Everybody keep those upper lips stiff.

stay safe.

[never_retreat]

Just saw a friend from down the street - rumor has it that two generators were stolen in our little neck of the woods so far.  Which is why I did not have one - it would be too exposed and too risky to try and run in the locked shed.

I chained mine to the boat trailer. No way to get the trailer out with the truck in front of it. Plus it was a tongue lock on it.

[280plus]

Yup, went to sleep last night wondering if the generator would be there in the morning.

[MillCreek]

Local library just opened as they got power this AM.  I've been camping out down the road since Saturday at the motel next to Hooters as they (motel and Hooters) did not lose power and I need it to run the machines that keep me alive at night. 

I have often argued that Hooters provides a valuable life-support function. 

[vaskidmark]

Came back home to gather stuff for the buzzard-feeding station. I GOT THE POWER!

Important question - is chocolate milk supposed to be chunky?  Cause it it is, I just poured breakfast down the drain.

Living frugally does have an up-side.  Cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer sets me back a grand total of less than $35 in spite of tossing 10# of chicken, 2 dozen buger patties, about 5# of frozen veggies, and a little over 2 dozen TV dinners, along with the detrius of the refrigerator.  It's a shame FEMA is running low on funding - I might have been able to put in a claim.

stay safe.