Was allowed on island today. Not bad we were lucky for sure. had about 35 inches of water in my garage stuff floated around. going back down tomorrow to power wash. first level is pretty high on my house so damage limited to garage only. had no wind damage at all. The ocean and bay met all through town but for the most part no real structural damage. you can see the water level on my fence in side the yard next to my house and out back under the steps. I also took a pic of my truck 2 days before the storm hit up by the beach around the corner and the my truck today in about the same spot. also the pic of the beach there are supposed to be 5 steps DOWN to the beach.
Got an ominous text from Eric Stoldt, one of our Buick brothers in Massapequa. He wrote. "I cant "make calls. House lost. Is my GSX ok?"
That's a real shame Eric. Carol and I hope and Pray that all goes the very best it can for you at this time. Be looking for updates.
Now there are gas shortages w/long lines and fights at the pump.....GREAT !!! 3 or more car pooling in effect to cross bridges or tunnels into NYC. 1-1 1/2hr wait to cross bridges is now the norm. With lots of subways out and limited bus service people are using cars to get around and creating traffic nightmares. Still hundreds of thousands w/no power and short tempers are starting to take it's toll. Cell phone service stinks. This bad situation is getting worse.
You are right, Jim. I'm old enough to remember Hurricane Carol in 1954. When you take a direct hit from a cat 3 or even possibly 4, it is absolutely frightening. Those people who refuse to evacuate when told by authorities to do so, have never been through a "big one". If any member is seriously interested in what a major hurricane can do, a book that I would recommend is SUDDEN SEA: The Great Hurricane of 1938, by R. A. Scotti. It is extremely informative and very well-written. In the case of Sandy, the geography of New Jersey and New York City left the storm surge nowhere to go but inland.
Not having been hit by a strong one in so many years in the NE keeps the fear factor down and the density of growth near the shoreline up. During the same period down here our shoreline was nearly wiped out several times. I feel for them as I have been standing in the gas and ice lines myself when the area around me looked like it had been bombed. This very experience caused us to install a whole house automatic power generation system powered by natural gas. Where this is not available I would go with propane.
I have a Propane system, Jim. I have just recently signed a contract to have natural gas from the street installed for heat and the generator. We also have a well and town water.
still without power,,,working in Staten Island Today,,,had to drive to PA to get gas for generator....most station in NE NJ have no power or gas...house is fine...houses next to us and across the street not so fine...
I am just dumb stricken by the devastation and the after effects I have seen reported. Just wow. And reading the first hand accounts on this board really brings it closer to home. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone that has been affected by the storm. I wish you the speediest recovery back to normalcy.
I see where the military has started flying in, and they will be setting up, portable power generation units.
Just got the cable and internet turned back on. Getting around LI is a dangerous proposition. No traffic lights, streets blocked off, accidents all over and bumper to bumper traffic on roads that are normally uncongested even on the worst days. The lines at the gas stations are unreal. Two hour waits. Lines 1/4 mile long. Its surreal. You look around and ask yourself if your really seeing what your seeing.
My friend in Matawan, NJ has the same perspective: --- snip --- "Went to get gas yesterday. Waited on line 3 hours. Dudes were fighting in street. Nuts. National guard came in to organize the gas line and break up fights. Not enough cops. "
I feel you pain when it's a full time job just getting gas. All I can say is at least it's not 95 deg and %98 humidity like it get down here in the wake of these storms. I cant imagine the hostility present in those gas lines in such a large City, I'm sure its a real powder keg I wish you well and please take care.
Yes, I do know that. This particular generator (a Generac 10 kw) has a 13K max capacity with an add-on option that adds three circuits. Even with the performance degraded, it can manage 10 KV on natural gas. My fantasy is to someday replace it with a 17 kw unit that will run the whole house. The 10 Kw Generac is a great unit though. 10 years with absolutely no problems. Maintenance only. Plus two starting batteries. Every year or two I start feeling guilty and change the oil. The old oil comes out so clean that I use it for the gas/oil mix for my chain saw.:grin:
My power has been back on since Tuesday evening so I ran down to my sister's house in Freehold to lend them my generator. Brought them an extra five gallons of gas since it's so hard to get without waiting in line. Lots of trees, power lines, and poles down all over the place. I feel lucky to have had nothing worse than a 24 hour power outage.
