For our listening audience: hurricanes often have tornadoes and it's risky outdoors even if the eyewall isn't nearby.


That tree has no roots! Note to self - don't park next to a tree crowded by pavement and side walk when a windstorm blows by.

The one thick root in the picture probably extended into the storm drain to draw water.

Thanks John! Hubby's going to download it to his phone and I'm looking for a version for my tablet. We do have a couple of radios, including a crank one, but this sounds more robust.

Sooooo.....how are your rain totals going? Anyone in snow zones?

Ooo, my fingers are getting twitchy just looking at that obstacle - nothing that an hour with a Stihl can't solve.

lights stayed on in most of Central PA so far. Less wind/rain than forecast, for which we're thankful. More weather to come

Seems like things are over here. Overall a relatively mild "winter storm." For us, winds 30-40 at gusts. About 4 inches of rain. Localized flooding. Absolutely NOTHING remarkable for us.

It was a dry-run for re-arranging the garage to fit both vehicles, find the various lights/lanterns, make sure the water and gas cans were filled up, all batteries charged and electronics living on their chargers (in case of power failure - wife and I both on-call). One bathtub filled w/ water for washing/toilet duty.

Overall I think we were well prepared for something, and nothing materialized! I really wish we had a little more problems, just so I could stress-test my system. So far it's been 99% theoretical.

Have friends in Philly, NJ and NYC - most of them are accounted for and doing well enough. One still MIA, but she's a poor communicator at the best of times.

Good luck to the rest of you dealing w/ the storm and its aftermath!

I'm back! At least for now.

It's been pure hell around here. My area still has no power, no cable tv, no internet, limited phone service, and basically no gasoline. Getting around is difficult with trees and wires still blocking some roads.

Thankfully I fared better than most with only one tree down, which took out the service on the side of our house. We luckily didn't get the heavy rain here, but I've got friends further south whose homes are a complete loss with 4+ feet of water and sand on their first floor.

Our generator has been a godsend. It's been humming along since Monday keeping our food cold and our house warm. We aren't expected to get utility power back to our area until at least Wednesday, with other utilities to follow. I'm especially glad my generator and truck is diesel, as I've still got 1500 gallons on hand, whereas people with gas generators have been fighting tooth and nail for gas.

Our home phone and cell phone service has been iffy. Verizon was fine with text messages (as long as they're text only), calling often didn't work. Now it's getting more reliable. Sprint was absolutely useless. This is the first day I'm getting WiMAX on my laptop and people with Sprint cell phones are still having a lot of trouble making and receiving calls.

Not sure what else to say, except I hope everyone else here did ok.

Wow Paul,NICE genney setup you have!

Quick update: While we're all sorted we have neighbors that still don't have power and won't until the 10th! The gas stations have 2-4 hour waits. The temp is dropping.

What this tells me: You can't rely on timely local power restoration. Your generator won't have enough fuel. Bug out to the hills isn't a good option as society hasn't collapsed and you still need to go to work/school/etc. (it seems many on this forum can't wait to execute this option).

Conclusion: #1 Survival Kit item = Social Network. Ensure you have a good network of friends and neighbors. Open up your door to them when they have issues and it will be open to you when you do.