Praise the Lord !! Power back on after 39 hours..Lessons Learned...

[MORTARDUDE]

Power back on after 39 hours. My freezer and refrigerator haven't been this clean in years..of course they are both empty..this is the second major catastrophe here in 9 years ( In 1994 we had a killer ice storm )...this was a REAL mess....

Anyway...lessons learned :

1. I WILL have a well over-stocked emergency supply cache. It will be checked periodically to be sure the contents haven't been pilfered or "borrowed". There are a number of things I will put in there that hadn't occurred to me before..such as 50 one dollar bills...a spare phone that doesn't require electricity...a P-38 can opener...and a lot of other stuff that I had one-hell-of-a-time trying to find in the dark.

2. Consider the purchase of some sort of generator. I will try to find a used one in the want ads or something. Don't want to pay a lot, but need something dependable..especially in the winter. Sure nice to have.

3. Even if we don't have a major power outage again, just knowing I am prepared is well worth the effort.

4. Like the song said, "You don't know what you got 'til its gone..."

Larry

IMHO

DEO VINDICE

[sfc_darrel]

There should be lots of "new" generators left from Y2K. :re:

[Gunner]

Except for my service time, I've lived in New York for more than a half century and in that time we have had two ice storms; one in 1991 and one last year.

As luck would have it, we had power throughout both storms. The neighbors on a cross street lost power both times. If you could have driven down the cross street, you wouldn't believe the number of outdoor extension cords running across that street to help people keep warm. Makes you feel real good seeing people who have share with those who don't.

Your plan of stocking up on necessary items and buying a generator is definately a smart move. Don't put it off because you never know when the next one will happen.

As far as not wanting to spend a lot of money for the generator I have two thoughts on this. 1) you get what you pay for (it may let you down when you really need it) and 2) look at this purchase like it was home, car or personal insurance. Buy more than you think you need. Even though you're paying more and may never need to use it; when you need it, you need it and you'll have it.

Best peace of mind in the world.

[b3196]

Gunner's right
you get what you pay for. Where I live a generator is a normal
appliance. After numerous cheap priced generators that seem to fail when you needed it the most, I finally bought a new Honda
generator. Its light, quiet, and easy to start and keeps on running. The 3500 watt gen. runs my sump pump, frig, and lights. Smartest move I ever made
Bob K

[exlrrp]

I just heard about this situation--what caused it??.
That hoked up bullsht "California Energy Crisis" we had 2 years ago at least got me turning off lights and conserving more than ever--My latest PGE bill: $56 (2 bdrm apt)(don't have or need AC) This in the middle of summer.
I never had even lights go off during the "Energy Crisis" --I live in the same power Block as Brookside Hospital

James

[PHO127]

Memphis anyway, Seems there are still about 80,000 people without power around there. Or at least according to the news last night. We had a big ice storm a few years ago and we were without power for 5 days. Fortunately I have a lot of camping gear and a generator. Take bobs advise and buy a good generator, Good and quiet. I like Honda also, have the most reliable and quiet engines. Get a propane lantern for your stock and a few bottles of gas. If you have a gas heater and cooking you are good to go, if not a propane heater and propane camp stove are good to have.

[MORTARDUDE]

James :

It was caused by straight line winds ( Derechos ). No warning...some winds clocked over 100 MPH for 20 mins or so. ( equivalent to a category 2 hurricane ) . 85% of all the traffic lights in the city were damaged. Still about 2% of customers without power going into 3rd week.

Larry

[Sgt_Tropo]

Gas stove (natural or proane) are indeed good. However, the newer generation of these require an electro-pizo inigian system instead of a pilot light or a match to light the burners. The gas won't flow if the ignitors are not functioning, which means having electrical power to the ignitors. I learned this the hard way during a big storm we had down here a few years ago. No lights, no working stove ! Anyway, I discovered that the ignitors only require a low voltage / amperage to operate, so I'm designing a back-up battery powered system so I can still use the stove when power goes out.
I live out in the sticks, so it is relatively important to have a modicum of emergency planning in place. I have an RV with a 5,000 watt generator, so I can either go into the RV when we lose power, or at least fire up the generator and keep power to the refrigerator and most lights and of course the ever popular TV and computer systems. What's really amazing is that we have never lost our phone service. Good work SBC !!