Nice set up, Les.

Im interested in hearing how the non coastal folks are doing,the news Ive seen is still focused on the coast.

Nice Les,very nice.

Oh,the coleman catalytic heater (have one) Les,load up on canisters of fuel,it works well but short run times,forget what they are,get extras anyhow next time you shop.It is a good little heater IMO.

Edit-And this? Plugs right into that 5 gal propane tank,did that for a long time as a starving student.

Oops,missed your adapters...see you got that covered too,WELL DONE!!
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Local radio reporting death toll going up....quote..."Bodies floating in water"

So sad.

More reports of 'where are the rescuers'? Guess its pretty bad out there.Reports Red Cross has arrived into some areas,but I dont get it,isnt that pretty good response times for what is involved?

Prayers sent for all involved.

Hi folks. Just a quick check in from NJ. My family is fine, power was just restored tonight, and we were able to make due with our preps and a little help in between. Being inland and higher elevation saved us from the worst, but still plenty of wind damage, downed trees and wires. The one thing I had not counted on or adequately planned for was interruption of the fuel supply. The fuel supply I had stocked-up went quickly between the generator, vehicle and sharing with friends and neighbors, and even under ideal times one cannot simply load up a 55 gallon drum and drive to the local gas station to refill. Also, once again, I found myself under-supplied for propane and without a generator, but that's all been resolved.

Some things that might not have made mainstream news:

* Over 80% of the residents of NJ were without power
* Business and government buildings that have power have setup charging stations for phones and laptops
* Phone, internet and cable TV was out in many areas
* Cell phone service, particularly from AT&T, has been unreliable in most of the region due to overloading and damaged towers.
* All 3 oil refineries AND the major gas/diesel pipeline from the Gulf to northern NJ were shutdown causing major fuel shortages north of I-195.
* The average wait time for gas is 2 hours with a 1 vehicle/2 can limit.
* Fights and even small riots have occurred at many gas stations over people trying to cut in line or not get as much fuel as they wanted.
* Police have been posted at all gas stations and rationing is in effect throughout NNJ.
* Generators and 5-gallon gas cans are selling for as much as 4X their value on Craigslist and on the street. And they are selling.
* Much of the NJ coastline from Atlantic City up to Sandy Hook has been decimated.
* Boats and houses were pushed as much as a mile inland and deposited in the middle of highways.
* Some barrier islands were nearly scrubbed clean of houses.
* Entire communities were burned to their foundations by fires from ruptured natural gas lines
* A new inlet was formed in Mantoloking, NJ
* Storm surge up the Hackensack River breached the containment berm flooding the towns of Moonachie and Little Ferry
* Thousands of families will need to find new homes, at least temporarily. It is likely that some will not be able to rebuild because of permanent geographical changes to the shoreline and barrier islands.
* Perishable and frozen foods are scarce, as well as the typical French Toast staples, diapers, baby formula, etc...
* Looting is occurring in many of the devastated areas. Looters have actually been going into evacuation zones in boats to avoid roadblocks and patrols.
* Many towns have implemented a strict 6PM curfew
* FEMA and Red Cross response has not reached all of the heavily hit areas, particularly in the central coast areas. Our Jeep club just did a relief run delivering several trailer loads of fuel, water, clothing and food, and at one stop we were the first outsiders to offer any assistance.
* Military vehicles will be used as polling places on election day where normal polling centers are unusable.
* I found nothing to substantiate the reports of "bodies floating in the water." Typical causes of death are impact by falling trees, contact with live, downed wires, carbon monoxide poisoning and traffic accidents. There is one isolated report of two young children being swept away in storm surge after leaving a disabled vehicle.

Things are starting to improve, at least inland from the coast. One of the smaller refineries has restarted and about 1/3 of the pipeline has resumed flow. Tankers of fuel are starting to arrive from out of state. Truckloads of generators, gas cans, water, propane, etc are making their appearance. And the outpouring of assistance from other parts of the country is making its way slowly to the people in need. But for folks on the coast, it is going to take more than a generator and a warm jacket to recover.

I'll post up more when I can. For now I'm going to take a long, hot shower, change into some clean clothes and try to get some sleep before heading out on another relief run tomorrow.

[quote=spuds]

More reports of 'where are the rescuers'? Guess its pretty bad out there.Reports Red Cross has arrived into some areas,but I dont get it,isnt that pretty good response times for what is involved?

[quote]

I feel badly for thr people who are affected, especially the elderly. I understand that many people didn't have many options. OTOH, many people wouldn't even consider a story like Martin's, which I'm sure is only one of many stories just like it, nevermind the logisitics of a city-wide rescue operation.

When they say "3 days MINIMUM but you'd better prepare for up to two weeks because that's more realistic", there's a reason for it. Of course, cancelling a marathon at the last minute doesn't help their perception of being forgotten.

Glad you guys are doing ok. Mark.

Martin, hope you and your son are feeling better soon.

Thanks for all you both do to help your communities. You're very inspiring and I'm sure you don't get near the thanks you deserve.

Mark,thank you for some real news,the media stuff just isnt doing it at all.

Glad you are safe.

My son has just arrived in NJ for the cleanup from Texas,he works for ServePro and was sent there,they clean up after disasters large and small.DIL called and said they cant find a hotel (Go figure),hope they packed well and gassed up first.Reckon they can sleep in the box truck.

Thanks for the detailed report.

Another issue which could possibly create absolute havoc is burst pipes. People in power outage areas may not get a heads up for the expected sub zero temperatures. I hope folks know to drain their water pipes including water circulating central heating systems -(even though they don't have any heat). This will make life an even longer ordeal when folks discover that there central heating radiators don't come back on after springing a leak when electrical power is eventually restored.

When the power comes back on especially in large housing/apartment complexes when the elderly folks that have passed away during the cold spell have not drained their plumbing, could create havoc for the rest of their neighbours.

In reading up on the aftermath -- 1 mil still without power -- I think back to how simple it would have been to have 20 gals in water in buckets...rather can carry water up 8 flights everyday. Thats the Prep part of preparedness, I guess.