Post by: Highmac on August 26, 2011, 09:55:10 AM
As an aside, one clip showed a man apparently preparing his cruiser for the bad weather. He was wearing a T-shirt with the legend: "Living the Dream". And we're always being told over here that Americans don't understand irony
Seriously, our thoughts are with you. Stay safe.
Post by: Jack W on August 26, 2011, 10:08:22 AM
Best of luck to those of you in the Eastern regions. We'll be praying for you.
Jack
Post by: jchuzi on August 26, 2011, 01:29:08 PM
We can only wait and see.
Post by: Xairbusdriver on August 26, 2011, 03:05:38 PM
Hope everyone has stocked up on groceries (that don't spoil without refrigeration!) and will have full pantries when Irene is but a memory! :thumb up:Wasn't aware where Jon lived, but I know we have several in the New England area and from DC northward. Everyone pay attention, have a plan and follow it...early!
Don't way to 
Post by: gunug on August 26, 2011, 05:39:19 PM
Post by: kcourt on August 26, 2011, 10:57:52 PM
Kathy
Post by: jchuzi on August 27, 2011, 05:08:37 AM
Post by: chriskleeman on August 27, 2011, 07:39:41 AM
Nonetheless, whatever Irene is when she gets here, we're most likely looking at power outages for days, lots of downed trees and washed out roads. Where we live is especially susceptible to power outages when we get severe weather, and this will certainly be one of the worst storms to hit New England in over 70 years. And no generator here!
So, today, we're cleaning up in the yard to try to keep the projectiles to a minimum, yesterday I fixed loose shingles on the roof, etc. Got plenty of gas for my chainsaw, which, unfortunately, I'm sure is going to get some use on Monday!
From the forecast, we'll be taking the brunt of the storm tomorrow throughout the day.
Can't wait!
And I do hope Kris has a safe place to ride this thing out!
Chris K
Post by: krissel on August 27, 2011, 04:39:55 PM
Just thought I'd make a quick stop by to let you know I'm hunkering down at my house for the impending storm. Been staying with Dad of course but did not want to be away from my place under these conditions.
While they think Irene will only be a cat 1 by the time it goes through here, it will only take a gust of 60-70 mph to bring down trees all over this area. They are forecasting as much as a foot of rain in our part of NJ so there will be widespread flooding as well. If I lose power it's all over for me, there'll be several feet of water in the basement. My battery backup pump will only last for a short time then the water will back up. During previous rains of 5" the water actually pours through cracks in the wall like a fountain and also comes up through the floor. The main sump pump is new and works great but it does require electricity.
Just spent a couple hours up on the roof cleaning out gutters and digging trenches to help guide the water away from the house. Presently I'm packing up important papers into plastic containers should the trees come down (two 60-70' ones right by the house) and open up the roof to the rain. Also doing a second backup on my computer. Did one yesterday and took it to the folks' house. This one will go in the car in the garage which is detached from the house.
Doubt I'll get any sleep over the next 24-36 hours and most likely will not be online as I fully expect to lose power. To make it more frustrating, Verizon has once again dropped my regional carrier for no perceptible reason so I can't dial out long distance to Dad and I imagine cell phone usage will be pretty bad. My sister is there with him and I made sure his place was tied down pretty good before I left. They are further west so they won't get quite the impact that my house will. And their generator can handle everything except the air conditioning system so they should be OK. Our town has opened a shelter but that won't provide anything more than I have here other than a roof over my head should the trees come down and if they do I probably won't be able to use my car to get there anyway.
At this point all I can do is wait and hope.
Thanks for your concern. Will let you know what happens eventually...
Post by: RobW on August 28, 2011, 10:29:47 AM
Actually, for most of the city, we did very well. We still expect some big winds (but not as big as originally thought yesterday) around 2pm. I tried to take Lincoln for a walk around 10pm Saturday night. Once we got off of our street into a more open area, he was having no parts of it. It was really quite amazing to be out in that for about 5 minutes. 
Within 5 minutes, my jeans looked like I had jumped into a pool of water that was chest deep. Of course, there's nothing like the smell of a soggy golden retriever to make the night complete. I woke up around 4:30 AM from the sound of the wind and street lights that were seemingly flashing--it was really just the trees blowing in front of them. The happiest thing was looking at my clock radio and knowing I still had power. Around 7:15, Lincoln gave me the "it's time to try for a walk again" wakeup nudge. Fortunately, it was pretty calm by then. He was quite happy about that.
Let's hope we get through the rest of the wind today. I just took a quick drive around and saw a couple of trees down, but nothing too bad as far as damage in my area.Good luck NY and all points north! Kris--hope you're ok!
Post by: kimmer on August 28, 2011, 11:05:01 AM
Post by: RobW on August 28, 2011, 12:35:21 PM
Post by: Paddy on August 28, 2011, 07:03:40 PM
http://crisislanding.appspot.com/
Hope Jane's ok too - there was a storm surge in Falmouth today. 500,000 people in Massachusetts are without power at the moment.
We were at the extreme northwest edge of the storm today - cloudy and very windy all day, with gale warnings on Lake Ontario (I'm at the cottage - 100km east of Toronto on Lake Ontario). The eastern end of the province is getting some rain, but the worst will be in Quebec and New Brunswick, I think.
Post by: RobW on August 28, 2011, 09:00:47 PM
QUOTE
Hope Chris is ok - it looks like the storm passed right over him! However, winds have dropped considerably, but 4-6" of rain is no mere shower.
Boy, you are correct about that one! When I was out in it walking Lincoln last night, I felt like I was on a Hollywood set. Our winds finally ended around 7p today. I do hope we hear from Kris and Chris and others soon. By the way, earlier in the week, we also got rattled by the earthquake that hit the Washington/Virginia area. (It was about a 5.9 on the scale.) On Saturday, The Philadelphia Daily News, in anticipation of Irene, had this headline: "What's Next, Locusts?"
Before Irene hit, we had already broken the rainfall record for Philadelphia in August. Needless to say, this didn't help with trees staying upright, flooding, etc.
Post by: Highmac on August 29, 2011, 12:19:35 PM
BBC TV news says the worst seems to have passed but has just been showing us some of the terrible scenes from New Jersey. Just keeping our fingers crossed.
Post by: jcarter on August 30, 2011, 10:38:08 AM
I have some pretty amazing pictures that I took with my iPhone, though they are pretty blurry, took them thru a waterproof case. If I can clear them up with PS, I will post some.
We got our power back already but many people still out. My husband has been out helping people get tree branches off their houses and stuff, he is pretty darn tired. But its great to get stuff done as quickly as can be done, as the weather is spectacular.
We were pretty lucky here, missing the heavy rain, and the best thing of all, our town got hit at low tide.
Jane
Post by: Jack W on August 30, 2011, 12:41:12 PM
Now to hear from Chris and Kris and others in the NE.
Post by: jcarter on August 30, 2011, 01:39:58 PM
My husband has been doing a bit of chain sawing, to get the branches off neighbour's houses too.
But the weather is lovely and the clean up is going very quickly. Our road is a mess, and the town will eventually come and take away or chip up the big stuff that we cant get into our trucks and to the dump.
But we are thankful that we didnt get the horrid rain and that the wind was not quite what they had originally forecast.
Our daughter had about 100 hummingbirds swarming their feeders, and we have had a few extras too. And a HUGE Oriole who likes to drain the feeder.
Poor things, they must have a bad time in wind and rain like that.
Post by: Gary S on August 30, 2011, 03:15:12 PM
We had a lot of rain here in WI about a month ago and straight line winds, enough to saturate the soil to the extent that we lost a 200 yr. old Oak tree and the oak took down a big black cherry tree with it.
Glass half full, we have a lot more sun in the back yard.
What weather!
Post by: jcarter on August 30, 2011, 04:25:37 PM
Pretty scary to see that, wonder what it would do to an animal or human if anybody had come near. Glad the fire department came and roped off our street.
Didnt think that the wires on our tiny street in our tiny town had voltages that high, but I guess they do. Was the highest wire on the pole.
Post by: RNKIII on August 31, 2011, 12:51:35 PM
We are indeed without power. But other than about to imminently lose the contents of our freezer and refrigerator, we are doing fine. The state of Vermont is an absolute disaster. Almost everywhere in southern and central Vermont, anyone and everything that was adjacent to a large stream or river has been affected. Roads are washed out, bridges gone, or compromised, many of the main roads won't be back for months. It's a long story, one which I'm not going to try to tell here, I just don't have enough time.
Stories will be written and tales will be told. This is at least a 100 year flood, certainly like nothing I've ever seen or experienced.
Thanks for checking, I don't have time to go to TS, please post in the Irene thread for me. I'm at my neighbor's up the road who does have power and internet, and just took my first shower since Sunday morning.
All the best,
Chris
Bob K. rnkiii
Post by: kimmer on August 31, 2011, 01:32:49 PM
QUOTE(RNKIII @ Aug 31 2011, 10:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Thanks for checking, I don't have time to go to TS, please post in the Irene thread for me. I'm at my neighbor's up the road who does have power and internet, and just took my first shower since Sunday morning.
Oh yeah, I remember what that was like when we were without power for 3-days, and I remember how good that shower was. Not to mention a hot cup of coffee. Hope Chris gets his power back soon. Vermont is really in horrid shape at this point. The pictures make me cry.
Thanks, Robert, for letting us know.
Post by: jcarter on August 31, 2011, 04:03:06 PM
My great grandparents lived in Vermont and in 1927 they lost their entire farm and everything they owned in the big flood. Their house, barn, all their cows, their horses, chickens, and pigs, but I think I remember that their dogs got out with them.
Thank god they managed to get up the hill and out, to safety.
My brother and I cannot find the old pictures that our mom and dad had. But I did manage to Google this,
http://www.vermonthistory.org/freedom_and_..._disaster.html#
Check out the video, its awful!
Jane
Post by: chriskleeman on August 31, 2011, 06:35:01 PM
Thanks so much for the good wishes and concerns. Now we need to hear from Kris and Jon.
We Vermonters are a tough lot, and this will test all our mettle. I have never seen anything like this in my life. Anyone who lived near a river or a large stream has been impacted in some way, most in a horrible way, by this storm. We actually had up to 10-11 inches of rains in some spots. The meteorologists are saying that the wind and moisture "up-sloped" when it hit the mountains due to the wind direction and it acted like wringing the moisture out of the system like wringing a sponge.
It is unbelievable. And will be for some time. Rivers have jumped their riverbeds, making new courses all over the state. Some of our small organic farmers in the area have lost valuable acreage to the rivers and streams. Irene has proved to be a life-changing event for all of us here. The National guard arrived in force last night and today, and we are seeing so many stories of courage and people helping each other out. So, my emotions run the gamut, for sure. Towns are cut off, cut in two, and there are stories all over the state of excavating contractors using their equipment and dump trucks to single-handedly re-cut washed out roads so people can get through to get to town to get supplies.
I witnessed this first-hand yesterday late afternoon four-wheeling in to a friend over in one of the hardest hit towns, Cavendish. We thought he might need supplies, so another friend of mine who owns a landscaping business and I set out in my truck and we got through to him. Luckily they were ok, but we left the rest of the beer with him! One of the locals was out on his bulldozer (80 years old and kicking butt and taking names, by the way...) cleaning up and making new road bed. We almost got hit by one of his dump truck drivers, it was so crazy and narrow. My friends had been cut off since Sunday night.
Anyway, the pictures are all over the media, I could post some of the local stuff, but it pretty much all looks the same.
The power came back on this afternoon, yay!!!
So we're doing ok, people are just incredible here, we're all pulling together and helping each other out. When I get a little more time, I might come back and post some of the websites that have been put up to help organize those who want to help and those who need help, it's just such a blessing that the people who live in this state are who they are and do what they do.
Thanks to all of you at TS.
Chris
Post by: jcarter on August 31, 2011, 07:52:07 PM
A friend who knows we have relatives in VT called and said that they had the story of the 1927 storm on a special TV program on Boston channel 5, Chronicle I think its called. We watched it, oh my god, it was AWFUL!
I never knew what my poor grandparents went thru till I saw what was on that program tonight, and I sure realize what you people have been thru now that Ive seen it and whats on the net and TV.
My grandparents just had to start over from scratch, all they had was themselves and the clothes on their backs. And one dog.
Jane
Post by: Highmac on September 01, 2011, 04:30:24 AM
However, it's great how communities seem to act almost as a single unit at times like these.
Post by: Paddy on September 01, 2011, 09:43:15 AM
A friend of mine who has a ski chalet/summer place on 107 just posted a pic on FB. Route 107 is just GONE - if they want to get to their place, it's about a 2 mile hike at the moment.
http://gallery.rr.com/gallery/Vermont_Stor...e/0dmkb6HbXmgjf
For an overview of the road closures in VT: http://crisislanding.appspot.com/?crisis=2...looding_vermont - pretty mind-boggling and I don't know how they're going to get all the roads passable before winter hits. 260 roads closed (yesterday) and 30 bridges...
Post by: krissel on September 02, 2011, 12:29:29 AM
My power finally came back late today (Thursday) and I quickly emptied out anything that was suspect from the freezer, started a load of wash, took a shower and had my first hot meal in 5 days. Then booted up my Mac. :-)
Our immediate neighborhood was mostly affected by the heavy rains (around 8" locally) and of course no power since Saturday night. Normally where I live is very quiet but the past few days it roared from the sound of generators. I think I was the only one on my block without one. The towns nearby that usually suffer flooding did so and many roads were closed due to trees down as well. It's sad to see the streets lined with household belongings at the curb and the brown silt lines delineating how high the water rose in various areas. Many people lost a lot and I feel fortunate for only having to rough it for 5 days. One good thing about hurricanes is that they occur when the weather is warm so heat was not a consideration as it is with blizzards or Nor Easters in cold weather.
My pine trees stayed upright and weren't blowing as much as they do during winter storms. I realized the even taller deciduous trees were buffering the wind and they were the ones I needed to worry about this time.
There were some serious gusts that had me cringing and moving to the other side of the house from the wind direction.Most amazingly the battery powered backup sump pump actually kept up with the near continuous flow for hours and then it slowed to coming on every few minutes and finally only a few times an hour by Monday aft. I couldn't believe it would last that long. I kept blowing it kisses and vocally praising it every time I went down in the basement.
Had battery bubblers for the fish tanks so they were OK but I didn't feed the fish to help keep the water clean. Went out on Tuesday to get ice for the freezer and try to find more batteries but there wasn't a D battery to be found for miles in the stores that were open (even Home Depot was cleaned out) and traffic was unreal with the limited routes available. So I made do with candles and a couple smaller flashlights taped to a jungle pith helmet, like a miners' hat. Worked great and they used AA batteries which I had in abundance.Our town used taped messages (keep your landline and a wired phone folks!) to keep us informed. Yesterday they reported that it took much effort from the Warren police and "elected officials" to get the power company to send some of the out of state linemen to our town. One of the trucks my neighbor saw was from Missouri. They also notified us that a nearby YMCA was open and offered residents the opportunity for showers and the town had a spigot available for fresh water near the municipal building. I had put aside enough drinking water and used the sump water for the toilet. Food was not my usual diet without the ability to cook but I didn't starve. One thing I really craved was a hot cup of tea.
Dad didn't get the brunt of the storm and only got an inch or two of water in part of the basement which his little portable pump took care of. My sister was with him so I didn't feel bad about not being there. They never lost power of course since they have a full house generator which comes on automatically.
One thing I discovered was the paucity of decent radio to which I normally never listen. Most of the talk is controlled by the extremes of the political process and it was hard to find something interesting to listen to other than music.
Back to the folks' house tmrw but I hope to be able to check in more often at TS in the future though my sleep/wake hours are not what they used to be.
Take care out there.
Post by: Highmac on September 02, 2011, 01:04:07 AM
QUOTE(krissel @ Sep 2 2011, 06:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
....One thing I really craved was a hot cup of tea.
I hereby declare you an honorary Brit
Post by: Jack W on September 02, 2011, 06:04:43 AM
Good to hear from you!
Post by: kimmer on September 02, 2011, 09:40:40 AM
Post by: Xairbusdriver on September 02, 2011, 09:53:10 AM
Tell your Dad "Hello!" from the folks here!
Post by: Paddy on September 02, 2011, 09:55:50 AM
Post by: jchuzi on September 04, 2011, 10:42:08 AM
Let's just say that it hasn't been fun. Fortunately, the weather was mostly good with moderate temperatures and humidities.
Definition of LIFE: The things that happen when you make plans.
Post by: kimmer on September 04, 2011, 12:08:41 PM
Post by: jcarter on September 04, 2011, 02:14:58 PM
If the power comes on, we have a streetlight not too far away, so we could tell, but what the heck, its nighttime anyway.
Found that the power company did a lot of work at night on our little back roads, as there was zero traffic to bother them and they could block the roads with their trucks with not a worry.
Post by: krissel on September 04, 2011, 11:40:59 PM
Post by: Xairbusdriver on September 05, 2011, 12:49:48 PM
Jon, you need to train your dog (don't bother with a cat, however!) to either refuel that generator or to at least hold the flashlight for you!!!
We're having some showers and "gusts" up to 30 mph from what's left of the storm that came ashore from the Gulf. It's just about a perfect "Hurricane" as far as I'm concerned. Much too weak to even create thunderstorms this far north and with only 10-12 inch rains at land fall. May all future storms be as gentle and meak!
Post by: Gary S on September 08, 2011, 04:24:58 PM
Great to here things were not too destructive.
Did you loose any trees?
5 days without electricity would be an interesting experience. When we had our tornado, strait line winds (that's what they call it),
we were only without power for about a day and a half. I realized how dependant I was on electricity.
It was fun for a while and then it got frustrating, 5 days would be like a forced camping trip.
Post by: krissel on September 09, 2011, 11:36:11 PM
Nope, all my trees made it through the storm although they were battered a bit and my lawn was strewn with branches and leaves. But a road I normally travel had at least 8 major trees fall across it and it wasn't open for 6 days.
The first day or so was not too bad cause I still could eat food from the fridge but after that it was a challenge to stick to my normal healthy diet. I was really worried about the water in the basement and was astounded that the battery backup pump managed to last long enough to keep up with the flow which was considerable.
You all know how I am a nightowl but that's not possible without electricity. Candlelight is OK for walking around but you really can't do too much. I am presently trying to sort my belongings and basically pack and ready the house for sale or rent. When the sun went down around 7:30 I finally figured out that taping small flashlights to a hat would allow me to see well enough to continue my cleaning/sorting for a couple hours. I had plenty of AA batteries but saved the D batteries to run bubblers for my fish tanks. The fish all survived but were not too happy about the lack of food.
The saving grace was the temperature was very moderate so I didn't need heat nor air. I had put aside many bottles of water so I had plenty to drink and the sump water was fine for flushing. I did go to the Y to shower since I couldn't stand myself after a while.
I've never been camping mainly because I'm a bug magnet and would have to live under a net or covered with spray. This experience was enough for me and I don't plan on ever intentionally putting myself into that situation.
Incidentally, the latest few days of deluge brought new flooding to the area but at least there were no high winds so the trees didn't bring down the power lines this time. Thank goodness.
Post by: jcarter on September 10, 2011, 07:04:54 AM
We were going to take it to my brother's house, but he got his power back on before his fridge and freezer suffered.
We got 4.7 inches of rain in the last blast, but it was over 30 hours so we didnt get flooded either.
Keeping an eye on the next group of tropical waves, but hopefully they will go out to sea too.
We have a high surf warning here, but we are on the Woods Hole(West) side of Cape Cod, so it wont be very noticeable here.
The kids all want to go kayaking and sailing, so we will stay closer to shore this weekend anyway.
Jane
Post by: Xairbusdriver on September 10, 2011, 09:17:13 AM
QUOTE
saved the D batteries to run bubblers for my fish tanks. The fish all survived but were not too happy about the lack of food.
What?! Do you cook for them?! I now live in our house with FOUR women and I still can't get a warm meal And we have electricity!!!
Post by: Gary S on September 11, 2011, 08:07:39 AM
QUOTE
I've never been camping mainly because I'm a bug magnet and would have to live under a net or covered with spray.
Me too Krissel, I think we give off more Co2 than others.
Flashlights and a pith helmet seems to be the way to go.
Post by: chriskleeman on September 11, 2011, 09:12:10 AM
QUOTE(krissel @ Sep 2 2011, 01:29 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Food was not my usual diet without the ability to cook but I didn't starve. One thing I really craved was a hot cup of tea.
Take care out there.
Take care out there.
Kris, even though you don't like camping, how about a Coleman camp stove to make tea in an emergency?
I hope none of us have to go through anything like this again, but who knows...
We're lucky in that regard, we have a propane stove. A friend of mine shared this link with me: High Resolution Flood Pictures from Vermont These are aerial photographs.
These are all north-central to central Vermont pictures; there is even more and sometimes worse devastation running another 60 miles south from Killington.
A word to the wise, as these are high resolution photos, it may take some time to load in if you're on basic DSL, and a very long time if you're on dial-up.
Chris
Post by: jcarter on September 11, 2011, 09:25:20 AM
Waitsfield is where the Smalldog Mac store is, they managed to be OK, not too much damage.
Post by: jchuzi on September 15, 2011, 10:06:52 AM
Post by: jcarter on September 15, 2011, 10:29:59 AM
But we need our generators to be portable, so we have the 2 of them, one a 4 and the other a 5 KW, gasoline powered.
We do take ours in our pickup to friends and family houses, thus the long thick extension cord.
Post by: Xairbusdriver on September 15, 2011, 11:26:26 AM
You realize, of course, that after the thing is installed, you won't have another storm of any kind for at least 20 years...
Post by: krissel on September 18, 2011, 09:23:23 PM
Theirs is run on propane also and is supposed to last at least two weeks running everything except the main air conditioning. They have had power go out on occasion but never for more than 24 hours. The generator comes on about two seconds after it senses no electricity. It goes through an automatic test run every two weeks for about 5 minutes to be sure all is OK. You can set the time for the test so you are there to see if it goes on.
One thing we want to change however is the actual physical positioning of the generator. It was situated next to the house with the gas line running from the tank located about 60 feet away. The generator is very loud when it comes on and there is a smell from the motor that is quite obnoxious if the house windows are open. We intend to move the generator away from the house and run the electrical underground to the house instead of the gas line. I don't know why they didn't do it that way in the first place, makes much more sense to me. Do consider that when you decide on where it will go, though you may not have much of a choice due to town restrictions.
Anyway, good luck with it. If I weren't going to be moving I'd be doing the same thing.
Post by: jchuzi on September 19, 2011, 05:40:41 AM
The gas and electric connections will be underground and the generator will be about 20 feet from the house. Local code requires that the dedicated 100 gallon propane tank be located 10 feet from the generator. Even if it is loud (and Briggs&Stratton say that it has a muffler and sound-deadening material), it should be quieter than my gasoline generator, which is right next to the house. The gasoline fumes are not pleasant so propane ought to be better. Besides, the sound and smell will be very pleasant if we experience extended outages!
Post by: jcarter on September 19, 2011, 07:48:35 AM
For the propane or nat-gas ones, I dont know. As it would have to fit inside the housing.
Take the cover off and look. Ask the company you bought it from, or hit the 'net, or auto parts store.
We ran a heavy duty cable underground to our shed, so that we can run one of them way out there, and not listen to noise. The other little 4KW one we use on the back porch, porch has a roof.
Thats why we prefer the gasoline ones, they are a bit heavy, but you can use a ramp to get them into the back of the pickup, and take them around to friends and family.
Post by: chriskleeman on September 20, 2011, 08:05:46 AM
Again, High Resolution. FYI, the pictures of the damage in Cavendish are ones of the town just next door to where I live.
CK
Post by: jcarter on September 20, 2011, 08:20:15 AM
Jane
Post by: Gary S on September 21, 2011, 08:17:37 AM
My wife and I are supposing it all went to those who needed it after Irene.