Suouthest After-Irene Check-in...

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Note for "next time"... If you have an RV battery (or the smaller ones used on old-people's "scooters"), you can hook it up to a "power inverter" - this thing takes the 12V battery power and converts it to standard household power... and comes with a plug-in. Now, you're not going to be able to run the FRIDGE off this - the battery won't have enough power for THAT... - But it works really great for re-charging phones, lap-tops, etc., or you can plug a landline phone into it (if the landline is up but power off and your phone needs power...).
We use this combo for camping... esp. running the battery-charger for flashlight batteries... A fully charged RV battery is good for something like 15-30 hours of light-duty use...
 

klmno

Active Member
DJ did recommend adaptors for cig lighters but I didn't listen b./c I evacuated to an area that was expected to get minimal fringes of a storm, not hurricane force winds, or vast loss of power and communications for a long period of time. As it turned out, they got as much effect as the place I evacuated from, and so did every area in between.

I didn't want to hijack the new thread that is focusing on "forgotten" areas...... BUT

YAAAYYYYY!!!!! I'm home! I finally found the power co's link to areas effected and ppower had been off in my neighborhood but they had scheduled a work crew for my street this morning. I got here about 20 mins ago and saw the communication co's truck 2 blocks from the house I'm renting. There is no damage to the house, the ACs are in the windows, I have power, communications, phone, and the pilot light is still lit! Boy, I'm timed that well which is a new one for me. LOL!

There's still a minimal amount of water left on the lower spots of the roads but nothing major at all. Debris is mostly cleared to curbs.

I hope everyone else who left home get back to find things just as good!
 

keista

New Member
YAY! Glad you're getting up and running!

Scared me with the pilot light thing. For next time (hopefully not for a long time), turn the gas off if you are leaving. Main power breaker should get turned off as well.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
Just an FYI... When Ike came through in 2008, SW Ohio got some NASTY wind damage. Power was out for 3.5 days in our neighborhood. My job was front desk/receptionist for my company... I took sponge baths. I did not get time off. I suppose if your job is underwater, maybe...
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
I think the government has done an amazing job with this storm. The agencies have been right on top of it from the get go.

So far, my favorite govn't official is still Chris Christy, who said, "Get the h*ll off the beach!"
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Terry...Mine too! I about peed my pants when he said that and then thought to myself, good job man. Someone needs to say it like it is.
 

CrazyinVA

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Outer banks has opened back up to visitors and realty co is checking folks in this afternoon. Heading down there in a few to start my delayed vacation. Power on at home now but.no internet or cable yet. Area where we are going is ok.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Glad everyone is ok. I haven't even managed to watch the news coverage yet.

I just kept wondering where people without extended family or friends, who might have been unemployed ect with no spare cash were expected to go during the evacuations. I mean not everyone can afford to go to a hotel/motel and not everyone has people they can go stay with. I often wonder if this is part of the decision for so many to attempt to ride the storm out?
 

klmno

Active Member
They had shelters set up around my area- and the SPCA was there to temporarily house animals so the people would evacuate instead of trying to stay home just due to having pets- and supposedly, the animals would be housed nexxt door to the shelter. That was fantastic, I thought! Oh- and I heard 1 of the 4 shelters was allowing people to keep their pets with them, within reason.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
In NJ or MD or some other places I heard 3 out of 4 shelters took pets.

Also in VA, one of the reasons Jamie had to work the ENTIRE time Irene was happening in VA was because of the pet issue. He had to be there to take care of peoples pets. If someone needed to evacuate but didnt know what to do with their pet, they could call the animal control and he had to go out and get their animals and take them to the shelter for the duration of the storm. If animals were found wandering around...guess who went and got them...animal control.

Now granted there are some people who have pets who simply cannot take them into a human shelter because of the pets natures. Star's dogs come to mind. She has severely unfriendly pitbulls that would not be able to get along in a shelter. Most folks like that attempt to ride it out at home or would have their dogs kenneled. I have worked pet friendly shelters and non pet friendly shelters and I dont know which is worse. I had all kinds of pets at the pet friendly one...snakes, iguanas, rats, cats, dogs, ferrets, and I think everything else you can think of but the snakes really got me. People walking around with snakes just made me shudder. I made them put them up.
 

DammitJanet

Well-Known Member
Now we are under a thunderstorm warning and flood warning...lmao! All unrelated to Irene. New storm moving in. If it isnt one thing its another this year it seems.
 

Jody

Active Member
I also loved it when Chris Christy said that. I couldn't believe it, but he said it just that way. Several people died when they went out to play in the water this weekend and it could have been prevented if they had had not been so foolish. So sad for their families.

I am going to take my Broady in where I go and when the storm is over they can arrest me. I would rather have him safe and be arrested when it's all over then leave him to possibly die. Not an option. When I lived in the mobile home and a tornado warning would come everyone went to the Walmart for protection from the storm. It's open all night and we knew we could get in. I always said they better move out of my way because my dog is going with me, and if they looked like they wouldn't let me in, he was going to become my certified seeing dog, and i would bring them the papers later.

I am so glad this wasn't as bad as they said it was going to be and glad that the precautions were taken.
 

LittleDudesMom

Well-Known Member
Glad you are back home safe K.

We had a number of shelters here that allowed you to bring your pets but they had to be crated. Apparently they were housed in the same building but a separate room.

We still have 270,000 in our metro area without power. I hooked up my neighbors (in their 70's) to my outside outlet yesterday afternoon so they could watch tv, have one light, a small fan, and their fridge powered.

easy child is still without power but her college is closed tomorrow so she will probably be here in the ac watching tv while I'm at work!

Sharon
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Jody: if they looked like they wouldn't let me in, he was going to become my certified seeing dog, and i would bring them the papers later.
Easier to get him certified as a "therapy dog" or "service dog" - not seeing eye, but "working dog", complete with working vest. Here, Service Dogs can go anywhere a Seeing Eye Dog can go, and we're working on Therapy dogs for the same access...
I'm working on getting the vest... one dog is my "ears", can't do without that help... its one of the "classic" service dog tasks.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
I talked with sister in law. Their area in Va had quite a bit of damage. Their apartment complex came through pretty well though. They were without power until this morning....and had just gotten the cell back right before I called. I'd waited to update her on purpose due to Irene. Nephew and family still are without power, but have a generator running their frig and freezer so it's not too bad. Niece had made it out of the airport on the last flight out right before the storm hit. She's here visiting her daughter and grandbabies. (wow that makes me feel old lol)
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Glad to hear that most reports are good.

Hound Dog, our area schools opened their gyms to people who needed places to stay asap.
 

klmno

Active Member
Remember I mentioned my boss's wife expecting and having pre-labor pains and he wouldn't evacuate?

I went back to work today and found out that he didn't even get her to a hotel closer to the ONLY hospital she'd have the baby in and, guess what? Apparently her water broke at home Sat. evening and had to drive an hour to get her about 10 miles or less to the hospital due to winds and streets that were flooded. Then, they both were adament that she'd have the baby naturally and without pain medications- but after 19 hours of labor, she had a C-section. Maybe he'll learn now that he's gone thru this and is a parent that we can't always judge others' decisions so quickly and we all need to be a little flexible. LOL!!

I saw a photo of the baby though that was taken yesterday, at 1 day old, and she is adorable! She doesn't even look like a newborn- she looks like she's about 3 weeks old already.
 

keista

New Member
So glad the made it to the hospital OK. You know that if they got stuck anywhere, she would have had that baby in the car in about 20 minutes!
 
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