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Severe/Interesting/Unique Weather Thread

All good here. Miles is gonna take it on the chin though.
 
Paging Miles Monroe. How did you come through the storm, Pete?
 
All good here. Finally got electricity back today. That was a nightmare--even with a generator.
 
All good here. Finally got electricity back today. That was a nightmare--even with a generator.

Glad you and yours got through okay


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I'm back ! Lost power at midnight sun/mon at the condo we were sheltering at. Said screw curfew and drove over to the house early mon morning. No damage what so ever, and our area was spared any flooding. I'll update a bit later, just got my hands on a generator, and lucky to still have cable and internet. Lots to finish right now, but the family is well. Good to see others are safe.
 
Glad you're ok, Pete. Oh how I remember the sounds of generators humming after Isabel.
 
So, anyhow..... Irma was a once in a life time event. Not the storm, but the adventure that continues as I type. I had done a little prep Labor Day weekend, the the real fun began on Friday. My intent was to secure the master bedroom, but finding the changed storm track, I boarded up everything I could. We wen't through Charlie with nothing, so I was confident the house would fare well. Worked from 8am to about 10pm with a couple of long breaks, but Saturday would be easy. Just had to shift some stuff in the garage, move in a few things in, and we were all set. We live in a "B" flood zone, and Saturday morning as I'm finishing up, Cindy walks into the garage with a look in her eyes, and I knew I was screwed. Mandatory evacuation for our area.

Call my sister to find out what their evacuation plan was. My mom was going to stay with a friend, and sister some other friends due to her pets. Cool, one less thing to worry about. Ask Gabrielle if she had caught the evacuation news..... she hadn't, and went into hurry up mode. I had no clue where we were going to go. There was no way I could ask them to sit it out at home, so I called a friend who had offered us a rental condo to stay in. We turned it down, figuring we'd be able to stay in the house. I really hadn't factored in a mandatory evacuation.... shame on me. After a couple of quick texts, we loaded my truck, and headed to a Cape Harbor. We hook up with my friend, and get the key to our home for an unknown amount of time. I find myself on the 15th floor, in a penthouse condo. It's not often step in " it " but I knew we'd be subject to all the normal storm stuff, but in a fortress of a building. The fortress had a lot of window and sliders out to the terrace from two rooms. The sliding door frames were almost 4 in thick, and it took some effort to open them. Highest rated glass you can get from what I'm told. The place was huge, which was nice giving the three of us space not to get on each others nerves. Of course, the monkey wrench was waiting, and after texting my sister, I find out she's in a public shelter, and not at a friends as she said. I ask where mom is, and get... heading north. Perfect, the storm is bearing down on us, and mom is somewhere on the road. Now I get to worry / stress over mom, who doesn't travel well to begin with, and no way to even try to contact her. Beyond that, it was any other Saturday you were stuck in the house, but we weren't completely stuck.
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Gabrielle and went out often so I could smoke, and the weather was still fairly good Saturday night. Sunday would limit us to the parking garage.... my God, the horror. I finally heard from my sister, mom was in Orlando at a friends house. We really had it made, and this was a social event for many. We got to meet lots of folks, and dogs. We spent lots of time in the garages. The amount of people taking video was scary, and of course the normal amount of morons standing in the openings up wind. Thankfully, I haven't heard of any injuries. At the peak of the storm, the garage was pretty wild. We walked around, but the wind would get ya at times. We hung out in a sheltered spot and watched a mid-size SUV rocking back and forth. At times, you could feel the floor of the garage vibrate under foot, and there weren't as many folks out. We found one woman in the hall by the elevators, and was freaked when she realized we were taking the elevator down. "It's the eye of the storm," she stated, and I calmly told her, we all have to die of something.... She didn't find that comforting. Once the eye was north of us, we did go out of the building for a quick minute, and right back in. Way too much stuff getting blown around. Back upstairs, the only effects we had were the sinks and jon in one bathroom gurgling, and window that made odd sounds, and leaked a tiny bit. You could feel the building sway the slightest bit at times, and see the movement in the water in the bath tub. Yes, once power went out, you would need the water to flush. Caught part of the Skins game, and watched the Giants that night. Power flashed on and off a few times, but it seemed we were to be spared the loss of power.

The lights went out for good around midnight..... and the storm was well past. The change of wind direction had the place very quiet, and we got to watch as transformers blew near and far, and watched a big chunk of the Cape go black. I was actually trying to sleep when they started to blow, and glad I got up to see it. The reality started to set in as I knew this would be the last good nights sleep I could expect for a while. Up at 6am Monday, I went down to the water to see how high it really was. Not too bad, so i hopped in the truck, had to back down two levels, as there were cars everywhere. There was almost a fight the night before after the storm had passed, with some people blocked in, and looking to rush out. Real ass hats... everybody wanted to get to their homes to see how they were, but get real. The place was beyond capacity to say the least, and any reasonable person would have waited till the morning. The drive home was encouraging, with just some trees down here and there. Made it to the house no problem, and all was good. No damage to the house or cars, so I texted Cindy and told her to pack up. I'm guessing we got home about midday, and the fun began. Power went out a 6:45 Sunday, so there was hope for the food in the freezer. Of course, the fight to find ice now began. I don't have a generator, so ice is a must. It was a long night, hot and sticky, and not a power company truck in sight.

Tuesday morning, my neighbor Pedro hooked me up with a big bag of ice, which if careful, will keep the cooler good for 48 hours. Tuesday was just one of those days, trying to get any info we can. All the boarding was already down, so there was little to do but sit in the heat. Took a few half hour breaks in the truck with the AC crankin while charging the phone and other stuff. Helped my neighbor Sean unload a big ol generator... the last one to be had in the area, and cleared tree debris in my neighbor Sonny's yard. It helped pass a little time, but night was coming quickly, and sleep will be hard to catch later.... and still not a single utility truck to be seen. As with Hurrican Charlie, one street over on either side of my street have power, and we sit and swelter, so it makes it that much more frustrating. Where are you LCEC, we need power too. Actually got a bit more sleep last night, as my body acclimates to the constant heat. This morning, my neighbor offers up a tiny generator, but it will power the frige. Run an extension cord, fire it up, and bingo, we don't loose what in the frig..... til the generator dies 20 minutes later. I'm almost at my breaking point now. I've come to the conclusion we're loosing everything in the deep freezer, and now the everyday stuff too. I say what the hell, just one last chance to salvage some of the food, and some sanity. I have an issue with the heat to begin with..... ya, ya, why you in Fl. I call another friend, asking if his offer of a generator was still out there. Luckily, the people he lent it to got power back, and I could go and snag it.

Cindy and I flew over, and loaded it up. I picked up a gallon of milk on the way back..... I've been dreaming of an ice cold glass of milk. So, we are now at least on a better road for tonight. The frig and deep freezer are saved, with very little having to be tossed. On a hunch, I plugged in my APC battery back up, and bingo... we have TV and internet. Ran a line to our bedroom for a fan tonight, and one into Gabrielle's room. All devices are being charged, and we have a fan in the family room for the moment. Sadly, still no sign of the utility company. There are no lines down in the area, and as in the past our isolated pocket of homes sit in partial darkness, looking at our neighbors living normally.

I understand there is so much rebuilding to do, but the least LCEC could do is give some sort of updates. Tomorrow is another day.... We're all safe, and that's the most important part.
 
Pete that brings back lots of memories. We got power back in 3 days only to lose couple hours later. My street and one over had no power, but everyone else did. We went 14 days with no power. All it was a switch had tripped in a box in neighborhood next to us.

Glad you and the family are okay. One day you will look back at this and laugh. Until the next threat comes.
 
One thing for sure, I'm never going through this again as we did this time. I'm getting real storm protection for window and doors, and I'm getting a big ass generator. I'm gettin too old for this two day prep. The nice roll down storm protection would cost more then we paid for the house, so the common metal slats will be the choice. A few hours to put those up. That old saying still stands true..... fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I will say, I'm quite impressed with the company that built my pool cage. Hurricanes 0, pool cage 2 :)
 
Glad you're ok, Pete. I was starting to worry.
 
I'm like a bad penny Chris, hard to get rid of. How did you make out ?
 
I'm like a bad penny Chris, hard to get rid of. How did you make out ?

I had two trees knocked down but both should be able to be reset. Never lost power at home and the business was undamaged.
 
One thing for sure, I'm never going through this again as we did this time. I'm getting real storm protection for window and doors, and I'm getting a big ass generator. I'm gettin too old for this two day prep. The nice roll down storm protection would cost more then we paid for the house, so the common metal slats will be the choice. A few hours to put those up. That old saying still stands true..... fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I will say, I'm quite impressed with the company that built my pool cage. Hurricanes 0, pool cage 2 :)

Accordian shutters are not as pricey as the roll downs, and just as simple to prepare, much less costly.

I used to install hurricane shutters, and had them on one of my houses. Total preparation for hurricanes was minutes instead of hours.
 
I shopped generators yesterday, and of course, the one I just have to have is out of stock...... sign up for notification for incoming stock. Figured it would be at least two weeks, so shopped it at other retailers, who were all at least 270.oo more then home depots price. Was about to open a saved link to order it, and saw I had mail.... THANK YOU HOME DEPOT ! Limited stock, and I ordered instantly. After seeing the rush for gasoline prior to the storm, with stations running out a week before the storm hit, I knew a duel fuel was the best option. I found a nice gas / diesel unit, but would still have to wait to get into stations for diesel, so I went with propane. I can store 3 or 4 propane cylinders (BBq type) indefinitely, and propane is a cleaner burning fuel, and better for engine life. I'll get somebody in to set up an emergence connect box to my house breaker box, and I'll be able to power a good part of the house, or power the AC, and the frige and deep freezer. I hope I never have to use it, but it will be ready and waiting....
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Pete do you know how long a tank of propane will last? After Isabel I came close to ordering one of those generators that are wired into the house and start automatically when
power goes out. Then thought about the price. Then considered how rare we do lose power. Decided not to get one.
 
Pete do you know how long a tank of propane will last? After Isabel I came close to ordering one of those generators that are wired into the house and start automatically when
power goes out. Then thought about the price. Then considered how rare we do lose power. Decided not to get one.

I've been looking into that, and getting mixed numbers. I've looked into the big automatic unit run on LPG tank, but 4.5 to 6K is a bit of a luxury. For me, the trick is to have a standing supply of propane, and supplement with gasoline if need be. Once I get it, I will run it to have it broken in and serviced prior to needing it. I know propane is pretty efficient fuel.
 
Oh ya, power came back on about an hour ago..... glory be:)
 
Temps are supposed to drop into the 30's tonight.

Pray for us! ;)
 
This weather sucks decaying rhino phallus, 39 degrees in Orlando with rain today
 
And snow in Tallahassee for the first time in 30 years.
 

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