We got hit pretty hard in Allenown, Pa. Two 100 Ft trees down in my yard. Just got power today. You don't know how important it is until you live without it for a while.

Isn't that the story of life?

 

Stan

Not everyone rose to the occasion, according to the _Mail_:

 

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2226536/Nana-Gouvea-Brazilian-glamour-model-slammed-Hurricane-Sandy-Facebook-photoshoot.html

86 hours without power....and still counting....

Still no power, little gas and no hot water or internet here... Just total devastation on the shore it looks like a war zone. We have 7pm-7am curfews. I waited 4 hours for gas yesterday, will have to do the same today. Havent even seen a utility truck yet. I got a generator yesterday so at least I have light can charge my cell and plug in a heater if need-be. I am living in luxury now baby!

 

Biggest thing for me is I think my local substation is still underwater and lines down everywhere. Hearing 2 weeks until I have power... Could be so much worse though I have a roof (mostly) over my head!! If anyone on the forums is around here and needs help just reach out, will do whatever I can!

For some stupid reason I am surprised at how vulnerable even a large city's infrastructure and power grid are to this sort of event. You always hear about the various emergency management agency's at the various government levels, and you kind of put things out of your mind with the trust that its all covered.

 

Then an actual event occurs, and you see how quickly services can be nearly overwhelmed, showing the human cost of the loss of basic needs like power, water, fuel and shelter. Lines in my state at the gas pump are a nightmare as desperate New Jersey residents wander far afield in search of fuel. New york bridges are restricted, and hotels in surrounding areas are full of displaced citizens looking for shelter.

 

The news brings pictures of subways underwater, begging the question of what the millions that depend on them to reach work will do. Cabs that might provide alternative transport are also running out of gas, and how do people, the sick and elderly in particular, in high rises loaded down with food and water reach their home in the dark with no elevators?

 

Technology traps.

Doesn't it also prove that investing in or even maintaining emergency infrastructure isn't very popular before something happens?

 

Either way, glad you folks hold on to reporting. I guess the power and fuel outages would hit every area hard, very hard.

I hadn't thought of that- hirise apartments with no elevators would be a pain! And yes, to lug water etc up, would quickly grow tiresome- literally!

 

This is hopefully a once in a century disaster. Like our 2009 Victorian bushfires, such major events can't be planned for. Other than to be skittish in the future and evacuate earlier, and maybe fiddle with building codes around the edges.

 

But if these major events become more regular, which certainly is happening in your case with Hurricanes every few yrs, then the economic cost of global warming will hit home- eventually whole cities will have to move. The old ones will be returned to nature.

 

I'm no warming extremist, but I can see how it all could have worked now. Decades ago, we should have been paying extra levies on fuel to find research into alternatives to fossil fuels. Instead of planning ahead, we'll be paying even more in the long run just to repair and rebuild. In the meantime, China and India's use of fuel will accelerate and make things even worse. Other than that, things will be peachy!

Last time North East was without power was the blackout in August 2003. Very similar things happened with no ATM's, Gas Stations, Subways down, Elevators not working.

 

That one effected 55 million people:

 

I was living Downtown Toronto that summer and remember all the trams stuck on the downtown streets with no power.

 

Rule learned if you don't carry cash and depend in ATM's, you won't survive very long on your limited supplies at home of food and water.

This is hopefully a once in a century disaster. Like our 2009 Victorian bushfires, such major events can't be planned for.

 

I don't think it is... If you listen to Meteorologists like Joe Basta*i... this is just the beginning of another cycle. Anyone who lives on the Gulf or the Atlantic Seaboard will be prepared if they are wise.

 

You may not be able to plan for a specific event... but you can make preparations... and hurricane forecasting is good enough to know days beforehand of the general areas that will be affected.

 

And it's not like this type of storm has never happened before. Nor is it like this cycle wasn't forecasted to occur again.

 

And can we make this the last word about the global warming rubbish (and the agw agenda) and hurricanes... it has no place in this thread.

 

 

EDIT: Tried to use this man's real name (the Joe B. of WeatherBell Analytics) but the Forum software accused me (falsely) of using a vulgarity and said I was "stupid"... wondering who / what is actually stupid atm.

The "Forum Nanny" is apparently dyslexic as well as illiterate!

Gas rationing has now been instituted in New Jersey.

 

In the meantime, here is an interesting little series that begins by discussing our dependence on technology, and how unprepared we are as a society when it fails. An interesting perspective.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgOp-nz3lHg&sns=em

I've bookmarked that one, Devon.

 

I had to interrupt the viewing as my mobile reminded me about an upcoming birthday.

how unprepared we are as a society when it fails.

But, if it wasnt for technology there may have been and more than likely untold 1000's of casualties!

The "Forum Nanny" is apparently dyslexic as well as illiterate!

 

Hey, that's your sister you are talking about! :girl_devil:

Doesn't it also prove that investing in or even maintaining emergency infrastructure isn't very popular before something happens?

 

Either way, glad you folks hold on to reporting. I guess the power and fuel outages would hit every area hard, very hard.

 

The problem is that we always go for the cheapest solution to something. We don't use wind, solar power, water power (dams), solar radiation. All of these have some issues from cost, environment, NIMBY etc.. We have to get over these.

 

My living room faces south and during the day and when the sun is out, it can easily add five degrees to the living room. A while ago I came across an instructibles.com to make a thermal collector. From junk around the house, I've built a solar collector which pumps heat into my basement and adds some heat and much needed dry air to it. I had a tv cart fell apart a couple years ago that was all black. instead of pitching it, I've propped them up in the living room to add even more heat to the room. There are countless designs on instructibles. for something better see http://www.builditsolar.com/Experimental/AirColTesting/ScreenCollector/Building.htm This is also very fascinating http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/SpaceHeating/DownSpout/DownSpout.htm

 

I hope this post encourages some of us looking into these methods.