I am so glad to hear from you @Beth Gallagher! I was concerned that something might have happened to you when you were "off the air." I am glad that everyone (I think) here made it through the storm okay and safe.
That is insane. I went though that here for maybe 4 days when a transformer at a hand off station blew and they had to order one from out of state.
I think there are still over 700,000 without power. There is a lynch mob forming for the CEO of Centerpoint Energy, the mayor of Houston, the Governor of Texas, and assorted others. There are 13,000 linemen from out of state here working. Yesterday a crew from Ohio was working in an "iffy" part of town and some locals were THREATENING them so they packed up and went back to Ohio. Don't you know what a good idea it is to threaten harm to people who are trying to help you?? Effing morons.
Oh, and we were without power for 2 weeks in 2008 after Hurricane Ike. We didn't have a generator then and the misery factor was off the charts.
Do you think the ire is justified? When El Derecho came though here maybe 10-12 years ago, Central Virginia Electric Co-Op came through and basically went scorched earth on all the power line paths. I came home and the tree line on my property where the line comes through got pushed back 100 feet. But there's not always an easy solution. We had a bad snow/ice event a couple of years ago, and literally 95% of the county was without power for days (I was not.) There are at least 4 different utilities serving various parts of the county...maybe more. Trees are gonna fall where they may...and may not. Regarding The Entitled Masses...they should all protest and not pay their utility bills. Oh. Wait.
Of course not; it was a freakin' hurricane. I know that people are miserable and it's easy to get angry or hopeless when you're miserable. Add to that property damage, spoiled food, etc. I feel really bad for poor people who have so little and are now sitting in hot, dark houses with their little bit of food spoiling and wondering how on earth they will recover from this. Just tragic and very sad. Honestly, I think the outcry is loudest from younger people who have never had actual hardship in their entitled lives. They have had everything handed to them and never lived in a world without air conditioning or internet access so they are freaking out and looking for someone to blame. Older people have been through this type of thing or something similar and know how to deal with temporary inconveniences for the most part. I am extremely grateful that we have the resources to make the situation less inconvenient for ourselves. Other than minor inconveniences like putting 5 gallons of gas into the genny every 12 hours and having to sleep on sofas downstairs our lives are pretty comfortable. Our neighborhood has been pretty lively this week; everyone outside and helping with cleanup. Lots of limbs, trash, and debris to move. We have had more interaction with all of them this week than in the past 5 years; it has been pretty nice all things considered.
Still no power or internet; this crap is getting old. I must say, OTA TV is really the pits; I had no idea how sucky it actually is. (This pretty much puts the "cut the cord" idea to bed.) I am going deaf with all the generator noise; I think every house on this block has a generator running. Still a quarter of a million people without power in the Houston area. It's amazing how depressing it is for "normal life" to be interrupted for an extended time. Quality of life is so important and it's amazing how frustrating it is to deal with when things we take for granted are not available. I can see that if the "SHTF" no amount of prepping is going to make life normal again.
Hoping that they can get power back for you again, soon, @Beth Gallagher . I remember how glad we were after the tornadoes here, and we eventually had power back again. Having an actual hot water shower was like heaven, and not washing clothes outside in the plastic tub was even better. I am glad that you got the generator when you did, and know that has to be a blessing, until they can get power working again. Hugs and Prayers……
Yup. If there's nuclear war, I'm running TOWARDS the bright flash on the horizon. At least it will be against traffic...
Thanks, Yvonne. I feel bad whining about things since so many people have much more to deal with. We have all the basic necessities and most of the conveniences, thanks to the generator and having a gas stove and water heater. The dirty clothes pile is getting pretty steep but so far I have not done any hand washing. It's just unsettling to have my "normal routine" interrupted. Difficult to explain without sounding like an ungrateful spoiled ass, but that's my truth.
I have said before that my "prepping" is to have two bullets and a handgun at the ready. Not a joke, sadly.
I made sure the washer, the well pump and the furnace were on my generator set up, as those are the three necessary items/services needed for a "normal" life when the grid is down. You can see why so many are worried about an attack on our grid(s) or an EMP attack, as America would "melt down" without electricity.
I'm sure I could unplug the freezer long enough to plug in my washing machine for a load of clothes, but I'm not desperate to do laundry.