I`ve got my power back after 3+ days and never really missed it,thanks in part to this forum and my training as a Boy Scout many years ago.
I had hit the local Sams Club and stocked up on plenty of batteries, bottle water, propane, etc., so I was ready for most anything that could happen. What I was not really prepared for is the attitude I have seen a few of my so-called intelligent neighbors have shown. In the days before and after the storm some, thankfully not many, thought 1 flashlight, a couple 6 packs and some chips would see them through til the local gov`t and power co. had everything fixed. Well, they found out differently, but instead of learning they wonder why with all the taxes and power bills paid everything wasn`t fixed by the day after the storm and complained that they couldn`t drink the tap water. These are the few that watched the rest of the neighborhood clear 6 streets that had trees up to 30" diameter trunks and 50-60 ft tall blocking them then move on to trees in yards, on houses, or or leaning and threatening to fall. I heard more than a few "Wait for the county, that`s their job." Those were the ones that went in search of an open McDonalds while their neighbors pulled out the grills into a central spot and had a massive block party.
The most important lesson I learned is that in general I can count on my neighbors, even those that I barely knew from blocks away. I overheard parents explaining to their kids to remember when they are older that when everyone works together those Big trees aren`t too hard to move.
All in all most of us have come thru unscathed, a little wiser, and confident that we Can take care of ourselves when the chips are down. Many are making lists to plan for the next hurricane, snow/ice storm or whatever.