Who knows for how long? Came back around 6:15. Like a good doomer, set batteries and cell phone to recharging, warmie disks in microwave, then started fixing dinner. Meems was right--had scrambled eggs and smoked salmon for breakfast this morning!

Neighbor says crew from Georgia came in and worked like troopers. We could have been lucky because of a large tree blocking the main route to Duke and VA Hospitals, very close to us, figured if they had to take care of that might as well take care of these couple of streets as well.

Police have been patrolling the few businesses with electricity ALL DAY, now in pairs because of various fights and thefts. Businesses include two gas stations, Kroger, convenience store, video place, couple of restaurants and fast food joints. As noted in main thread, tempers began to flare as soon as daybreak after the storm. People were pissed because stores were closed, they couldn't get gas nor cash from ATMs--DUHHHH! Big problems when curfew arrived, stores began to close and people couldn't get what they wanted.

Got the word on why alcohol was banned. We had no problems re alcohol during Fran but this was a way to keep the clubs closed. The cops had enough to do without having to deal with drunken driving and fights.

The only things I'm going to change are:

More batteries! The rechargeables did very well--only went through two sets for the scanner, but used earphones to eke it out. Had more left but still could have used more to feel secure. The solar chargers took care of the AAs with no problem but the D bateries take around 8 hours of sun ):

Buy another mini TV. The old one I have sucks up D batteries like a sumbeach. Figure the new minis will have chips and stuff that don't require a lot of batteries. I hope. Have to check on it.

Have a thingie that runs off the car battery, Barefoot, but never got around to using it. It has two DC outlets for powering up small electronics up to a notebook. Must get the notebook fixed and wireless access cable!

People are still being stupid re carbon monoxide, like running a generator in the house as well as charcoal grills.

Oh, another thing I'd like to have is a spare battery for the cell phone. Be nice to have that extra margin.

Polly is very happy not to have to get under something to keep warm! She's sitting on her heating pad and purring to herself.

Gonna stop nad post this in case I lose power--temp supposed to go into teens tonight and it is feared more branches will come down. I've already heard a couple of trees are down, maybe due to the thaw and general weakness, who knows?

-- Anonymous, December 06, 2002

Answers

I read where the Charlotte stations said it was worse than Hugo. This was definitely worse than Fran for us. There were no uprooted trees around our neighborhood but a great number have been split and/or lost very large branches. I had read somewhere that Bradford pears don't do well in storms--teehee, they don't. I don't like the damn things with their dirty white blossoms and their proliferation all over every strip mall. Well, I don't have to cuss out the one across the street any more :)

Am listening to the scanner and black ice has become a serious proboem in the last half-hour. Some interstate locations have been closed until the sand trucks can get to them. Good luck--it took 2.5 hours for the Duke/VA exit ramp to be sanded this morning and it was closed in the meantime.

The main lesson to be learned from this experience is the same as from Fran and any other weather-related problem--stay off the streets! It's just not safe out there, not just from ice and falling limbs but those predators and ordinary people who snap like those tree limbs I heard yesterday. Doomers definitely have the right idea--no long lines for gas or food or cash, no fear of being robbed or worse (some guy was shot at 0530 today during a drive-by armed robbery) and no worries about burglaries while you're gone.

Re the bed: I shall get Coleman beds in the future--they inflate via a battery-operated pump, are very comfortable and not terribly expensive. This Aerobed is going back to Costco--if I can find the bloody receipt. Am sleeping on a thick slab of firm foam, no problem.

-- Anonymous, December 06, 2002

Welcome back!

And thanks for the report. I hope that you can sleep a little easier tonight, both literally and figuratively.

The most telling phrase for me was the line about people getting angry when they couldn't get what they wanted. That could get scary . . .

Hope the power stays on for you!

-- Anonymous, December 06, 2002

It's just amazing that people don't prep, isn't it?

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2002

Yes, people getting angry is the scariest part. Even scarier--after Fran, they at least waited 24 hours before things started boiling over; this time it was almost immediate.

It's almost 0400--I fell dead asleep afer posting earlier. Just heard Red Cross person talking to a cop on the radio; she was SO bossy and officious. If she had spoken to me like that I woulda decked the bitch--verbally, of course!

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2002

According to the latest report, 90% of homes in Durham are still without power. I'm somewhat surprised--I thought if we had it, then "they" must have got to a bunch of other areas too. Could be because of demographics--we have a lot of elderly people in this neighborhood. A night of temps in the teens could kill quite a few old folks.

I'll be without cable for a while longer. I can see the cable snapped in two places.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2002

Glad to see you are doing ok. We missed you. Thanks to Brooks and Barefoot for updates on you.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2002

I wish I could say I missed you guys too but I didn't, teehee. I was too busy doing stuff. Y'ever emptied a full fridge and freezer into ice chests--after you've spent a good while gathering fresh ice from the backyard and putting it, encased leaves and all, into baggies? Man, that's hard work for an old git with rotten knees! Up and down those damn steps! Next winter storm I shall try to get ice the day before and put it in an icechest--two or three bags--so that by the time night rolls around I can put it outside and it will come in handy when I need it for the ice chests.

I also had to go out and pull some large branches off my roses and put them over the property line to the foot of the tree whence they originated. I also had to return all that food to the fridge last night--there's still a chestful in Sweetie's car, which I have to get shortly as I can see the icicles dripping.

As y'all know, it takes a lot longer to cook over Sterno--I was saving the gas canisters for later, when I could cook really good meals to ward off the boredom.

I also had to move my makeshift bed into the living room in front of the fire, along with: scanners, spare batteries, lamps (oil and battery), radio, TV, pens, notepads, and so on. Then had to move it all back last night.

I did laundry the night before the storm and I'm VERY glad I did because there were lots of comfortable clothes in that batch. Comfortable clothes are a MUST because at one point I didn't want to get out of bed and get into my nightie! I slept in sweats in my sleeping bag.

However, I forgot to wash my hair! Put that on the Pre-Storm To Do list. I have baking powder and other stuff to clean my hair but it's not the same.

I keep my Dustbuster plugged in so was able to vacuum up a mess I made on the carpet. That was very handy.

The place looks like a disaster area. The kitchen and dining room, I mean. Candles everywehre, lol! Don't forget--next yard sale season, look for a big old aluminum pot and any old candles you can pick up cheaply. Line the pot with aluminum foil, shiny side out, so that when you put candles in the pot they reflect off the foil and make more light and heat. Oil lamps--I prefer the smal ones to the big ones. I have a fear of fire so was comforted by the fact that if one was knocked over it wouldn't cause a hell of a problem, especially with two fire extinguishers within reach :) Dietz lamps put out far more light than the cheapies, but they too have their place. I have hooks in a couple of places which were handy for hanging the lamps out of cat reach.

All this stuff is pretty basic for us all Given the choice, I'd take a winter storm over a hurricane because I COULD get warm but it was impossible to get cool after Fran.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2002

...in front of the fire, along with: scanners, spare batteries, lamps (oil and battery), radio, TV, pens, notepads, and so on. Then had to move it all back last night.

Need a tote basket, like the little shopping baskets used in small stores and for the shopper who 'only needs a couple things.' Or, wicker baskets which look better in any decor. I have one of the plastic ones like in the store. Very handy! I mean, it must be full of something somewhere. LOL

Getting ready for an ice storm is like packing to go camping except you don't leave the house. It's the not leaving part that messes one up by allowing you to forget something and not worry because you aren't really leaving.

Very good point about the laundry! Sounds funny to think about washing your hair but makes perfect health sense regardless of season or reason.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2002

sure am glad that your power came back on

i was worried bout ya, OG.....

i'm even happier that you're a prepper, and didn't have to depend on getting to a store for something necessary

: )

keep us updated

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2002

Thanks, glad, me too!

Did forget to mention one thing. I became so used to low temps that when the heat came back on and reached 65 (thermostat set at 68) I felt uncomfortable. I put the thermostat back down to 65 and it's been there ever since.

Talked to the lady who helps me with the house--she never lost power! The bad news is she has 12 members of her extended family staying with her and more than half are children. Aaaaaargh! She's a much nicer person than I. I'd give them the shelter address (-: She told me that the nursing home where she works still doesn't have power. She covers the old folks with four or five blankets and the employees have to work by flashlight and candles.

The Hungarian doesn't have power and will be over here tomorrow for a shower and shampoo.

The assigment editor for today told me as of 0600 today Duke alone has treated 86 people for carbon monoxide poisoning, one of whom has died. Emergency services are notifying Hispanic businesses via flyer to spread the word.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2002

me is glad

didn't realize till it posted that i'd forgotten to fill in my name

LOL

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2002

Oh, just mebs, huh? hehe

What do y'all think of keeping some blue ice packages revved up? I figure if it is cold enough, it will be below freezing at night, and the ice packs could be put outside to refreeze and then used in the coolers during the day.

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2002

About that shampooing thingee...

I wash my hair EVERY morning, so I don't think I could prepare for an outage by doing it. However, I learned from camping that the secret is a large plastic bowl that is just a bit bigger than your head and preferrably narrow at the bottom. I found I could wash and then rinse my hair with less than one gallon of water total, and it heated up very nicely on my sterno burner.

And my sweats ARE my regular nightie, so I'm all set there. ;^)

-- Anonymous, December 07, 2002

Me is glad too, mebs, thanks!

Had three of those freezer thingies, one blue, two yellow. They do work much better than plain ice but I had so much stuff in the freezer, I needed many more and there was no room even if I had them! Polly's food really does take up a lot of space--I've made some more since the first batch, she still likes it.

Heard from the owner of Grannie's tonight. The main place has been pounded by elderly tree limbs, one of which went through the window of the kitchen part. I know there's a table under there displaying dishes so I can well imagine the mess. The backyard of the place is covered in huge limbs and she'll need a chainsaw to get them out of the way.

The Hungarian is still without power, although two blocks from her house there are lights. She had to take The Major to the emergency vet tonight; he has pneumonia.

According to the scanner, police were called to Hillside High School tonight because people were "getting rowdy." Last I heard there were nearly 350 at that shelter.

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2002

What do you want to bet that those people in the shelter left their pets at home in unheated houses and forgot about the possibility of the water in the pet bowl freezing?

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2002

I think many of them are the kind of folks who don't let their pets in the house anyway.

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2002

Latest is that 2/3 of households still without power. Went to Costco today, was awed--they had the whole place running on generators and if you didn't know you wouldn't know. Bought a box of handwarmers for the Hungarian and her cats, should last for a while. Drove around the neighborhood a little, Esther at the wheel (frightens me to death so didn't go far), and saw power lines down, branches and trees obviously cleared from road, judging from leaves and twigs near piles of stacked branches. I'm truly very lucky to have power--our street is three blocks long and the last block is without power because the transformer up the street blew when the juice came on--I guess they ran out of transformers. Must be well up in the hundreds, maybe thousands, that blew.

Treated myself to a little Casio 2.5" TV. Not great, but will certainly do in a pinch. Runs on 4 AAs, which are said to last about 4.5 hours. Good, because AAs don't take nearly as long to charge up and only 4 compared to 8 on the TV I have. It was $70 but at this point, I don't care. It also weighs only a fraction of the other one.

Dragged a bunch of branches to the curb today. Heard on the news that the city wants them cut in 3-4' pieces. Ha! These are the size of small to medium size trees. No way I can saw those buggers, will have to pay someone to do it, heaven knows the neighbors won't offer. Might just sod off to Lowe's and buy myself a chainsaw when things settle a little. Oh, stop that, I'll get a small one, electric power, not much kick to it.

Temps below freezing again tonight. I can't believe there are still 2/3 (I'd say 3/4) still without power on the fourth day after this storm.

Heard that officious Red Cross cow again, she was saying, "This is the American Red Cross." It was in capital lettrs, like, "THIS IS GOD." I can understand why the shelter crowd was "unruly" if she had any contact with them.

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2002

Get your chainsaw "pre-assembled" -- you don't want to assemble it yourself. I couldn't get the chain right initially and had to pay the guy who sharpens my lawn mower blades to do it. I can now, but I didn't want it flying off because I didn't assemble it correctly.

Thanks for the continuing reports. I'm taking notes. We're about due for a massive ice storm -- this might be our year.

My weak spot is battery power. I really like using battery-powered lanterns in the house. I feel much safer with them than with candles or oil lamps -- I don't mind leaving a candle going in the bathtub, but that's the only place I don't worry about it. I keep a good supply of batteries and keep them rotated, but I've never had a run of several days with them. Our power failures thus far have been of the 5 hour (or less) type.

Food for thought. . .

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2002

Lamps or flashlights using LEDs are very long-lasting. I have a modified Maglite with a three-LED light. Works pretty well, especially for reading, and the batteries last a LONG time. I also have a mini reading lamp with one LED and it works well too. Again, the batteries last ages. I don't think LEDs are economical enough to light a whole room--those Coleman lamps using 4 D cells are pretty good for that. I got my LED stuff from Realgoods.com but when I checked today I didn't see them. There are lots of places selling LEDs on the net and Odd One was pretty heavily into making LED thingies.

-- Anonymous, December 08, 2002

Git, I ordered my chainsaw via the Internet from Sears. It came fully assembled. (I had it delivered to work. No question at all what it was, so I took a lot of ribbing for it.) I already knew the model I wanted, which happened to be the most powerful one with the most safety features. Don't skimp on power because you won't be able to cut much of anything. And, even with electric, you need plenty of bar chain oil to keep things lubricated. And, of course, you need a heavy gauge extension cord.

-- Anonymous, December 09, 2002

I'm hoping I can pay someone a few bucks (ha! few, my arse) to cut the stuff. Haven't decided yet. Must make some phone calls. Next house--no big old trees and definitely no trash trees, like scrub pines, pears, silver maples, willow oaks, etc. I doubt they have many ice storms in Charleston, anyway.

-- Anonymous, December 09, 2002

You could check with the bag boy at the supermarket or maybe ask the manager. 'course with the way our supermarket has been going, it would be the cashiers instead. the 'bag boys' are now mostly older men and women. I wouldn't want to ask an elderly person unless they did that sort of thing fairly regularly, insurance claims you know.

-- Anonymous, December 09, 2002

There's just a real lack of handy young guys who'll cut up wood, clean gutters, cut lawns . . . when I was growing up, they were always banging on our door looking for odd jobs. Has society changed that much? Or is it just where I live?

Maybe some of your local churches will have vounteers who'll help with cleanup? (Ha! Might be the same problem).

-- Anonymous, December 09, 2002

Old Git,

So glad that you have power back! Here's hoping that it stays on forever. :)

From your pictures, it looks a lot like the ice storm we had in Jan of this year. We had a bunch of ice just before you got hammered, but not quite the amount you did.

Glad you and the kitties survived, and survived in style.

apoc

-- Anonymous, December 09, 2002

Thanks, ape. (teehee) The closest thing to this was an ice storm in Little Rock which screwed things up for about a week. But we never lost power! The only thing was I got a kidney infection in the middle of it and my son had to drag me to the ER on his sled! Luckily, it wasn't far.

-- Anonymous, December 09, 2002

I was sure I posted on this thread! oh well.. I am so glad you were so well organized. I USUALLY am too, but if we lost power now with the mess I have going.. we'd be in a real mess! I think the kitties thing we are moving! heheheh and no one has gotten into a box yet!! the boxes go back out in the cold when I am done with them.

I heard to use oatmeal to freshen hair, never heard of Baking soda! Does it work?

-- Anonymous, December 09, 2002

What you want to do is WASH your hair, in a large BOWL, with water you have nicely heated on your STERNO stove. Use a sponge for the rest of you.

-- Anonymous, December 10, 2002

I would have done that if the power had been out another day, actually. And I have packs of babywipes for the rest of me.

-- Anonymous, December 10, 2002

do you really think all those people without power are doing that?

air quality is definitely down on some parts of Durham.

-- Anonymous, December 10, 2002

No, Barefoot, I think all those folks are using oatmeal...

-- Anonymous, December 10, 2002