praying for everyone in the path of this storm to be careful...

to all our survivor bretheren that are in the area, please please be careful and check in to let us know you are alright, if able to...

I'm standing here in front of this old brick building. It seems to be the only structure in Hartford CT that is STILL standing.

Sandy is much much more aggressive than one would deem at first-blush.

My job requiers me to be out in this mess. Hangin out in south jersey, the storm has not hit yet (or so they say) but what im seeing now its an amazing site. I may loose my home again but my family is safe. We still have 4Glte though!!! Stay safe Still...

Thanks Obi.

-Jay-

I'm praying for some positive news about Sandy....

Shit got bad here quick!!!! Ive never seen anything like this in my life. New Jersey has been torn apart and Sandy just hit 1hour ago... Could have fooled me I thought this bitch hit us a long time ago...

Thanks for starting this thread Obi. 800-621-FEMA, btw.

Hope you guys in the NE are safe and dry. Electric? That would be nice, but it's not always possible, huh? But, while you've got electric, the genny or 3G/4G:


Not that you don't have experience with these things, but I'll be a mother hen anyway...have a little - ok, a lot of - experience. Post-storm is often more dangerous than the storm itself.

• If you've never used a chainsaw, now is NOT the time to learn. (Even if experienced: 1. horiz cut 1/3 deep on the side of fall direction, 2. second cut 45º above it, 3. cut a couple inches above on the opposite side, but NOT all the way thru to keep stump from bouncing into your face).

• Do you REALLY need to get up on the roof? At least have a ladder buddy.

• That power line that's down in the street or puddle may not be sparking, but may still be charged. Great reason for the rubber hip boots.

• Keep the kids out of the water. May look like fun, but there's metal and broken glass underneath...not to mention bacterial nasties, fecal, etc. Get cut? Clean it, keep it dry, antibiotic and wrap.

• Candles and kerosene (fumes) not a great idea. If you must, go with the candles, but only if a responsible adult is in the room and never leave it unattended.

• Genny? Outdoors (along with the BBQ) and away from open windows. Not even in the garage. Not even under the eaves. Note which way the wind is blowing.

• That food in the fridge? Get together with the neighbors and do a BBQ in the first 24 or sooner. Otherwise, toss it. Not worth it to save a few bucks and get sick now, especially when hospitals are already inundated with injured.

• Oh, that tape you put on your windows? Take it off now. Now you've discovered it's useless in a windstorm, in a day or two it will dry out and be a real PITA to remove.

And, hell, you're probably tired and not 100% on your vigilance. Yeah, drives me nuts not to have my yard the first one on the street to be cleaned up. I get that. But it will wait.

Occurred to me, too, if you have post-storm questions, PM me. Secrets have a bad rep on MS, but in this case I'll keep it a secret if you're clueless. What are friends for, right? And if I don't know, I'll tell you. Be safe.

just found out that dear friends of mine, that lived near the coast in jersey, has lost everything... plus, they didn't have insurance... *shakes head*...

5 feet of water in their apartment...

not sure what we can do to help them....

*

UPDATE:

Still Here,

Sandy sucked big-time.

Lost power promptly with the wind's start.

Here, no power means no water as well as the well is then not powered well.

my feble generator was put to work every 5 hours or so to keep the fridge cold, but that was all it could do, and required constant attention, as it is a little Briggs & Stratton bitch from hell. Its heading for the shooting range as soon as its replaced...or we'll bolt it dangerously to a go-kart frame and enter a new line in "Things Boys Discover." Yeah...that's more likely.

I had plenty of food and bottled water.

Had plenty of dog food, but Skip says "if this is what living here is all about, he's moving to Vegas ASAP."

I've missed two full nights of sleep and feel like Skip's poo that I stepped-in, in the dark. So...I may not be round for a while. (see my avatar? That's how I feel)

Still

It amazes me how you can still find humor in the situation you find yourself in. Is it your survivor instinct that we all learnt. Adapt or die.

I really can visualize this go-kart powered by a generator, a scene from "myth busters" or "top gear". Maybe a new Disney film "Skip goes to Vegas"

I hope you get power soon so you can get back to your life.

Thinking of you all

I want a ride on the Go-Kart!

Wow...bad motors and questionable steering. Brakes optional. Still, you are absolutely my kinda guy.

In most cases I side with the critters. Sorry.

Honda genny next time, right?

Very glad you're otherwise okay.

In this area we've seen lots of terrible pictures of the aftermath Sandy. Was "Sandy" an appropriate name? Some of the news footage showed tons of ocean-bottom sand deposited in entire neighborhoods.

I'm thinking of getting an uninteruptable power supply. A year and a half ago an entire town (Ringgold - not of Wagnerian fame, also not referring to the Ring series ) was swept from the earth.

Puffer

After Sandy made landfall, the prediction was that she would hand a hard right and move across Northern New England. Didn't happen, so we stayed on the edge of the storm. Lots of downed trees, and about half the state was without power for 24+ hours, but buildings are still standing, and the rivers stayed in their banks. Sorry for those who took the brunt of it. I have a son in NYC and a daughter in Virginia who we worried about but their fine.

Jude