Hurricane Irene

[AGBF]

This has taught us a valuable lesson. We need a backup natural gas generator and we are going to find out how involved it is to install one to a natural gas line. Definitely worth the investment to protect our house. Power can go out for so many reasons and it can be unpredictable and being on the water we really need to be vigilant keeping that water out!

If anyone's house "deserves" a generator, it's your gorgeous house, missy! I'm so glad you're going to be getting one so that you will never have to go through this again! Ironically, I think this same storm will be the straw that broke the camel's back and got my father and me to act and get a generator for his little, old, far-from-beautiful house! Not to protect the house so much as to protect the inhabitants from cold and darkness! The winter storms and summer hurricane (whose wackiness and wildness I have been attributing to global warming) have been wearing me down!

I was just looking at the Generac Guardian Series Air-Cooled Liquid Propane/Natural Gas Generator with Transfer Switch. What about you?

Deb/AGBF

 

[missy]

Thank you centralsquare. We feel relieved as it could have been so much worse.

Hi Deb, being protected from the cold (and in this case heat) and dark is no small thing and good for your dad wanting to protect himself and his family. My parents are very stubborn and I could not even get them to evacuate their home (and stay with us in NYC) though they were in an evacuation zone so you are fortunate your dad is more reasonable! I shudder at the thought of the winter storms as when we bought the house that was what I was concerned about and never even thought hurricanes (like this at least) were a possibility. I agree- global warming is a likely contributing factor if not main culprit. Mother Nature is upset with us I fear and what we are doing to this world.

We have not yet gotten to the research stage as to what are the best generators for us since this has all happened so seemingly fast but as soon as the dust settles I will be researching natural gas generators to see what options are available. Thanks for getting me started with the option you recommend. It's a good place to start. I will definitely let you know when we decide which choice we go with.

My neighbor thought that natural gas generators were a crazy price (25K) but from what little I do know I think they are way more affordable (I am thinking 5K). At least I certainly hope so because peace of mind is priceless but if it was as much as my neighbor thought it would be cost prohibitive right now so fingers crossed it is closer to what my dh and I think it is. I have spoken to my 2 neighbors and they are both interested in getting a natural gas generator with us so maybe we could arrange for a deal for our 3 families. That would be great to save some money but in any case I am going to do whatever I can do to afford a generator. I will even stop buying jewelry if need be!! I hope my PS carrying card is not stripped from me now for uttering those words. but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do and our safety and peace of mind come first!!

I am glad your family is safe and came through this storm OK. Thank goodness most everyone came through. Now we can all get t-shirts that say we survived Irene.
Though I am still very concerned about the cresting of rivers etc for so many still dealing with this flooding- as I am watching the morning news now it looks like a serious situation still for some. Keeping everyone affected in my thoughts and sending lots of PS dust to them!

 

[Tmissy]

WTF!!! Day four of NO Power. Tying to hold it togehter more from being frustrated. I live South of Boston Brockton, Sharon, Stoughton area. SIGH!! Gotta Buck Up!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Day 4 of no power here, too. And I'm also south of Boston (Hingham/Cohasset/Scituate area). If I have to take one more cold shower...

 

[missy]

Hope you both get power soon!

 

[lbbaber]

Sorry guys Hope your power comes back soon. Ours came back today and after spending the day SCRUBBING everything from top to bottom, I am finally sitting down with a glass of wine and relaxing.

I wrote this in the random comments thread but I will say it again. My parents lost their home in East Haven, CT. I have never seen ANYTHING like it. The water surge destroyed 27 homes. Destroyed. It took everything in its path. The houses still standing were SUBMERGED. Its so sad. My childhood home is gone and the neighborhood will never be the same. Thank God for insurance and that everyone in my family was safe. Feeling very depressed right now regardless though. I should be relieved that we are all ok but for some reason I just keep crying. UUUgggg!!!!!

Ok, enough of the self pity. I'm taking my parents and local siblings out to dinner tonight. Going to try and have a good evening. Thinking of the PSers still in the dark.

 

[missy]

Sorry guys Hope your power comes back soon. Ours came back today and after spending the day SCRUBBING everything from top to bottom, I am finally sitting down with a glass of wine and relaxing.

I wrote this in the random comments thread but I will say it again. My parents lost their home in East Haven, CT. I have never seen ANYTHING like it. The water surge destroyed 27 homes. Destroyed. It took everything in its path. The houses still standing were SUBMERGED. Its so sad. My childhood home is gone and the neighborhood will never be the same. Thank God for insurance and that everyone in my family was safe. Feeling very depressed right now regardless though. I should be relieved that we are all ok but for some reason I just keep crying. UUUgggg!!!!!

Ok, enough of the self pity. I'm taking my parents and local siblings out to dinner tonight. Going to try and have a good evening. Thinking of the PSers still in the dark.

ibabber, I already responded to you in the random comments thread but I am so sorry for your loss and you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

Don't be so hard on yourself- it's OK to feel sad/angry/bad. You guys just went through an extremely traumatic event. Thank goodness you are all safe and of course that is the important thing. I will be thinking of you and your family and sending positive vibes your way. Big hugs.

 

[wildcat03]

Sorry guys Hope your power comes back soon. Ours came back today and after spending the day SCRUBBING everything from top to bottom, I am finally sitting down with a glass of wine and relaxing.

I wrote this in the random comments thread but I will say it again. My parents lost their home in East Haven, CT. I have never seen ANYTHING like it. The water surge destroyed 27 homes. Destroyed. It took everything in its path. The houses still standing were SUBMERGED. Its so sad. My childhood home is gone and the neighborhood will never be the same. Thank God for insurance and that everyone in my family was safe. Feeling very depressed right now regardless though. I should be relieved that we are all ok but for some reason I just keep crying. UUUgggg!!!!!

Ok, enough of the self pity. I'm taking my parents and local siblings out to dinner tonight. Going to try and have a good evening. Thinking of the PSers still in the dark.

Oh, lbbaber! I'm so sorry to hear that! I'm glad you guys are all safe and together, though.

Where are you going to dinner? I'm always wanting new restaurants to try, especially those outside of downtown New Haven!

 

[iLander]

Sorry guys Hope your power comes back soon. Ours came back today and after spending the day SCRUBBING everything from top to bottom, I am finally sitting down with a glass of wine and relaxing.

I wrote this in the random comments thread but I will say it again. My parents lost their home in East Haven, CT. I have never seen ANYTHING like it. The water surge destroyed 27 homes. Destroyed. It took everything in its path. The houses still standing were SUBMERGED. Its so sad. My childhood home is gone and the neighborhood will never be the same. Thank God for insurance and that everyone in my family was safe. Feeling very depressed right now regardless though. I should be relieved that we are all ok but for some reason I just keep crying. UUUgggg!!!!!

Ok, enough of the self pity. I'm taking my parents and local siblings out to dinner tonight. Going to try and have a good evening. Thinking of the PSers still in the dark.

I'm so sorry lbbaber! Please accept my sympathy and dust to you and your family!

 

[iLander]

Thank you centralsquare. We feel relieved as it could have been so much worse.

We have not yet gotten to the research stage as to what are the best generators for us since this has all happened so seemingly fast but as soon as the dust settles I will be researching natural gas generators to see what options are available. Thanks for getting me started with the option you recommend. It's a good place to start. I will definitely let you know when we decide which choice we go with.

My neighbor thought that natural gas generators were a crazy price (25K) but from what little I do know I think they are way more affordable (I am thinking 5K). At least I certainly hope so because peace of mind is priceless but if it was as much as my neighbor thought it would be cost prohibitive right now so fingers crossed it is closer to what my dh and I think it is. I have spoken to my 2 neighbors and they are both interested in getting a natural gas generator with us so maybe we could arrange for a deal for our 3 families. That would be great to save some money but in any case I am going to do whatever I can do to afford a generator. I will even stop buying jewelry if need be!! I hope my PS carrying card is not stripped from me now for uttering those words. but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do and our safety and peace of mind come first!!

hi Missy! I'm glad you're beautiful home came through okay.

I think you might want to get a couple of regular gas generators from Home Depot. In the case of a bad storm, I would worry about gas line rupture and explosion. But that's me.

If you want to get fancy, you can have an electrician come in and install a dedicated line for your generator that leads to your kitchen for the fridge and the microwave and a few lights.

If you really want to get fancy, get window protection, but not electric shutters. When it finally came time to use them, most people in my area found the mechanisms were rusted from years of salt exposure and they were unusable. We have manual shutters, which are basically panels that fit over bolts that are stuck into your house. They're not pretty, though.

My recommendation is to have your windows replaced with impact glass windows. You can bash them with a baseball bat and they're fine. Don't just get film for the glass, the true impact glass windows have reinforced framing that will keep the wind from just blowing out the whole window. I think they're made by PPg in Florida, and they can get you together with a legit installer. They have to be installed with special bolts, so an installer needs to know what they are doing.

I can't figure out how you are not in a flood zone! From the pics, it looks like your house is not any further above sea level than mine (4 feet) and I'm in a flood zone . . .

 

[missy]

I was just looking at the Generac Guardian Series Air-Cooled Liquid Propane/Natural Gas Generator with Transfer Switch. What about you?

Deb, I have been doing research and it looks like Generac is a winner. Specifically the Generac 20kw generator with a Nexus Smart switch. I still have more research to do but it looks promising. The 20kw should take care of the entire house (still need some more info regarding this) and comes on automatically within 30s or so once power outage is detected. It self checks every week. The complication is you must get permits to install a natural gas generator (at least where we live). So who knows how long our town will take in approving the plans once we decide who we want to do the installation and submit our plans. There is a lot of scheduling involved including permits, gas company, inspectors and electric.

 

[iLander]

WTF!!! Day four of NO Power. Tying to hold it togehter more from being frustrated. I live South of Boston Brockton, Sharon, Stoughton area. SIGH!! Gotta Buck Up!

SUCKS doesn't it? I've been there! We had no water for 5 days, and no power for 9 days from our hurricane a few years back.

I HATE no power. It should never be 92 degrees in your living room.

 

[missy]

Thank you centralsquare. We feel relieved as it could have been so much worse.

We have not yet gotten to the research stage as to what are the best generators for us since this has all happened so seemingly fast but as soon as the dust settles I will be researching natural gas generators to see what options are available. Thanks for getting me started with the option you recommend. It's a good place to start. I will definitely let you know when we decide which choice we go with.

My neighbor thought that natural gas generators were a crazy price (25K) but from what little I do know I think they are way more affordable (I am thinking 5K). At least I certainly hope so because peace of mind is priceless but if it was as much as my neighbor thought it would be cost prohibitive right now so fingers crossed it is closer to what my dh and I think it is. I have spoken to my 2 neighbors and they are both interested in getting a natural gas generator with us so maybe we could arrange for a deal for our 3 families. That would be great to save some money but in any case I am going to do whatever I can do to afford a generator. I will even stop buying jewelry if need be!! I hope my PS carrying card is not stripped from me now for uttering those words. but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do and our safety and peace of mind come first!!

hi Missy! I'm glad you're beautiful home came through okay.

I think you might want to get a couple of regular gas generators from Home Depot. In the case of a bad storm, I would worry about gas line rupture and explosion. But that's me.

If you want to get fancy, you can have an electrician come in and install a dedicated line for your generator that leads to your kitchen for the fridge and the microwave and a few lights.

If you really want to get fancy, get window protection, but not electric shutters. When it finally came time to use them, most people in my area found the mechanisms were rusted from years of salt exposure and they were unusable. We have manual shutters, which are basically panels that fit over bolts that are stuck into your house. They're not pretty, though.

My recommendation is to have your windows replaced with impact glass windows. You can bash them with a baseball bat and they're fine. Don't just get film for the glass, the true impact glass windows have reinforced framing that will keep the wind from just blowing out the whole window. I think they're made by PPg in Florida, and they can get you together with a legit installer. They have to be installed with special bolts, so an installer needs to know what they are doing.

I can't figure out how you are not in a flood zone! From the pics, it looks like your house is not any further above sea level than mine (4 feet) and I'm in a flood zone . . .

Hi ilander,
I know, I thought the same too about the flood zone but it was mapped by the federal government and we are not (as of now) in a flood zone. And actually recent experience confirmed this in a way because even with 6 foot storm surges at high tide and a new moon the water level did not flood our property. The water that flooded our basement came from the ground being over saturated and our sump pumps not being able to work because of power failure.

I''ll have to investigate the recommendations you suggest. Thanks so much. I know our windows are not hurricane proof (didn't need to be as this was the first real hurricane the area experienced but now I agree it would be a good idea) but they are strong (Anderson casement) windows and did hold up at least this time. I would want to make sure we are protected well for the future though so I appreciate your advice.

As for the gas generators I am not sure that would work for us as we are not there full time so we wouldn't be able to keep filling it up with gas for the duration of the storm and/or power failure. I think as a quick fix in an emergency though they would be something to consider. Especially if it takes us a long time to get the necessary permits/paperwork for the installation of the natural gas generators.
I hear you on the safety issue of the natural gas but I am hoping it would be safe because it is underground and there is no big earthquake risk where we are. It would have to be a big earthquake to be a risk I think.

Thanks again ilander.

 

[iLander]

Day 4 of no power here, too. And I'm also south of Boston (Hingham/Cohasset/Scituate area). If I have to take one more cold shower...

Ugh, I'm having flashbacks, sorry to hear this!

 

[Loves Vintage]

lbbaber - I'm so sorry to hear that your parents lost their home. Will they be able to re-build there? I had heard about the loss of homes in East Haven. So sorry to hear how your family has been affected.

Day 5 (has it been 5 days?) of no power and no WATER! Grrr. It could be much much worse, so trying to remain patient.

 

[Skippy123]

ibbaber, I am sorry.

LV, oh no, I am so sorry; I hope they get you water and power soon! please check in.

 

[lbbaber]

Thank you everyone for the condolences. It could have been worse (they ALMOST didnt leave) so we are looking at the bright side. Also, while they rebuild my parents will be able to stay at our 2nd home. We have a townhouse that we keep in Stamford CT bc my DH works in New York and he crashes there sometimes. My folks have a house to go to which is not the case for the other 24 families that lost their homes in East Haven . Stamford is not exactly close to East Haven (about an hour away) but its going to be free for them .

I hope the power is coming on for the rest of the PSers still waiting. When mine came on yesterday I literally broke down and cried. Cried. Like a baby. It's kind of funny now that I think about it. lol.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Ibbaber, I am so sorry to hear about your parents' home (and your childhood home) being lost in the storm. That is truly awful. It makes me realize how blessed I am to have just lost power! I can understand your sadness, I would definitely feel the same way if my parents lost their home, which was also my childhood home.

I'm really thankful, however, that you have a second home for them to stay in while they sort all of this out. Even though it's an hour away, that really isn't so bad and at least it's a home that is familiar to them and they can have a bit of space and privacy for the next several months. Much better than having to stay in a hotel.

Again, I'm so sorry and wish you and your parents the best!

P.S. Power is back on, just no cable, phone or internet, but I don't care.

 

[JewelFreak]

Oh, I'm so sorry for the troubles you all are having from the storm. Heartache hardly covers it. Loss of houses and/or things in them is a big trauma & crying is definitely permitted. I can completely understand how awful it is for you who don't have power -- we don't get hurricanes here, but do have tornadoes & winter ice storms that cut off power for days. Since we are on a well, that means no water too -- one of the worst experiences I've had.

My brother in Vermont has been sending pics of the area around him, tragic. His house survived but the road to it washed out -- small damage compared to that of his friends. Some lost home, workplace, cars. He says a large number are out of work after offices & stores disappeared downstream.

It feels not very useful to send dust for quick recovery to you all, but that's about all I have. With huge hugs!

--- Laurie

 

[iLander]

Dust to everyone for their troubles, I am sending strong recovery vibes to everyone.

Thank you everyone for the condolences. It could have been worse (they ALMOST didnt leave) so we are looking at the bright side. Also, while they rebuild my parents will be able to stay at our 2nd home. We have a townhouse that we keep in Stamford CT bc my DH works in New York and he crashes there sometimes. My folks have a house to go to which is not the case for the other 24 families that lost their homes in East Haven . Stamford is not exactly close to East Haven (about an hour away) but its going to be free for them .

I hope the power is coming on for the rest of the PSers still waiting. When mine came on yesterday I literally broke down and cried. Cried. Like a baby. It's kind of funny now that I think about it. lol.

Big hug for you. When our power finally came back (2004 hurricane) I was overjoyed. A/C is a wonderful thing. Please hug your parents for me, too. We had friends that lost their homes, and it was so sad.

We seriously need a hugs emotie . . .

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Dust to everyone for their troubles, I am sending strong recovery vibes to everyone.

Thank you everyone for the condolences. It could have been worse (they ALMOST didnt leave) so we are looking at the bright side. Also, while they rebuild my parents will be able to stay at our 2nd home. We have a townhouse that we keep in Stamford CT bc my DH works in New York and he crashes there sometimes. My folks have a house to go to which is not the case for the other 24 families that lost their homes in East Haven . Stamford is not exactly close to East Haven (about an hour away) but its going to be free for them .

I hope the power is coming on for the rest of the PSers still waiting. When mine came on yesterday I literally broke down and cried. Cried. Like a baby. It's kind of funny now that I think about it. lol.

Big hug for you. When our power finally came back (2004 hurricane) I was overjoyed. A/C is a wonderful thing. Please hug your parents for me, too. We had friends that lost their homes, and it was so sad.

We seriously need a hugs emotie . . .

South Shore folks, I hope your power is back on. I too am South of Boston (Attleboro) and while areas of our town and neighboring towns were hit drastically, our neighborhood came through just fine, with exception of the 3 days with no power. All I can say is thank goodness for our Nooks and LED flashlights! The flashlights are so bright that they illuminate a room easily and last a very long time. And I had downloaded a few books on my nook so I was able to read after the baby had gone to bed. My office in W. Quincy was without power until yesterday morning as well, so I got 2 bonus days off. We did lose everything in our fridge and freezer, but they really needed to be cleaned out. LOL

lbbaber, I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of your family home. My thoughts are with you all a you rebuild.

My thoughts are with everyone else affected by Irene. Let's hope Katia stays away!

 

[kama_s]

Sorry guys Hope your power comes back soon. Ours came back today and after spending the day SCRUBBING everything from top to bottom, I am finally sitting down with a glass of wine and relaxing.

I wrote this in the random comments thread but I will say it again. My parents lost their home in East Haven, CT. I have never seen ANYTHING like it. The water surge destroyed 27 homes. Destroyed. It took everything in its path. The houses still standing were SUBMERGED. Its so sad. My childhood home is gone and the neighborhood will never be the same. Thank God for insurance and that everyone in my family was safe. Feeling very depressed right now regardless though. I should be relieved that we are all ok but for some reason I just keep crying. UUUgggg!!!!!

Ok, enough of the self pity. I'm taking my parents and local siblings out to dinner tonight. Going to try and have a good evening. Thinking of the PSers still in the dark.

Oh my god. I am so so so sorry, lbbaber. Really glad your family is safe, but I can't even begin to imagine losing your entire home.

 

[AGBF]

Thank you everyone for the condolences. It could have been worse (they ALMOST didnt leave) so we are looking at the bright side. Also, while they rebuild my parents will be able to stay at our 2nd home. We have a townhouse that we keep in Stamford CT bc my DH works in New York and he crashes there sometimes. My folks have a house to go to which is not the case for the other 24 families that lost their homes in East Haven . Stamford is not exactly close to East Haven (about an hour away) but its going to be free for them .

I hope the power is coming on for the rest of the PSers still waiting. When mine came on yesterday I literally broke down and cried. Cried. Like a baby. It's kind of funny now that I think about it. lol.

lbbaber-

Somehow I missed the posting in which you said that your parents had lost their home! I am very sorry to be so late in responding to your family tragedy.

I do not know how this happened since I have been following this thread, except that I guess I thought I was keeping up with it and so I just skipped a posting, thinking I had read it! I only realized I had missed something of import when other people started to discuss it!

Did you tell the whole story in the random comments thread? I do not usually read that thread, but if you tell the story of your family home, I would like to read it! Just tell me on what page of the thread I can find the story (please). I am so very, very sorry!

Big hugs,
Deb/AGBF

 

[lbbaber]

ABGF, I didn't write alot of the details. There isnt much to say, sadly. It wasn't the wind of the storm that did the damage, it was the water surge. Keep in mind we aren't 'ocean front'. We are technically Long Island Sound so we are always protected from REAL waves. The waves that came through were like nothing we have ever seen. My mom grew up in this neighborhood and so did I. We have had floods many times but NEVER waves like this. It tore down the pillars that the house was built upon and now the 2nd floor is on the ground and the 1st floor is crushed.


Oh man, just got a call and I have to walk out the door. will come back later and finish this.

By the way, someone asked me about what restaurant I went too......LOL. I let my dad pick and we went to his fave--Cracker Barrel . I know its not what most would choose but he is a Southern boy ay heart and he needed comfort food. I miss going downtown New Haven. I worked at Hot Tomatos for years while in college. There are so many yummy restaurants in New Haven. I can't wait until my baby is a little older and I can start having 'dates' with my DH again!!! If you want to try a good restaurant, one of my faves is Ludals in North Haven. They used to own Quattros in Guilford when Quattros was still fantastic. It's Italian food but with an Ecuadorian twist bc the owner is Ecuadorian. Yummy!! (I worked there too). They also own Daltons on route 80 in Guilford. Very similar but on a smaller level. Delicious. The owners name is Dalton and if you go to the one on RT 80 you can actually watch them cook your meal. I like that for some reason. Then I know the food is cooked RIGHT.....

Ok, now I'm late.