Aw heck, I've lost count. I may be the last person on the planet to know this, but if you have a sump pump, you absolutely positively *must* have a generator. We've lived in IL for 10 years and have never lost power for more than a couple of hours. Until yesterday.
Let me tell you, I have never been as terrified as I was during the storms. Round 1 hit about 3:45, winds like I haven't seen in my 20 years in the Midwest. Because I had been working, it took me *completely* by surprise. I was too busy trying to move Boo to a safe part of the house and get the dumb dog in to really fully appreciate what was happening outside.
Round 2 hit around dusk. This one I watched roll in. Almost continuous lightening, and definitely continuous thunder to the point that I thought it was a tornado, just this neverending deep rumbling noise. Big, multilevel and multicolor (white to black and everything in between) clouds that seemed to reach all the way to the ground. So glad Boo was here to keep me calm, LOL. No, not really - I was calm and soothing for him, but on the inside I just was completely flipping. husband was of course in NM with- Diva and Wee, visiting his parents. Poor guy - he was so worried.
Anyway, sump pump died at about 3:47 with the power. Started leaking up into the basement just as round 2 hit, so it was a secondary concern quite frankly. By 12 hours later, we had 3 feet of water in the basement. I did have my wits enough to turn off the pilot light on the water heater right away(couldn't budge the gas line itself). But I lost virtually every picture of the kids since 1989. All of husband's Navy stuff, plaques and commendations, the picture of his reenlistment on the Pearl Harbor Memorial and the commemorative flag that they flew over the Memorial before they gave it to him. Plus of course, washer, dryer, brand new furnace, water heater.... I'm having all the service men out Monday to check them, plus an electrician. I'm sure we lost much more, as we just got power back about an hour ago, but ... given how certain I was that Boo and I were goners yesterday (neurotic much?), I can live with- the losses I think.
I had hit the hardware stores this morning but there's not a generator to be had in the metro Chicago area. I'm ordering one online. We haven't even begun slogging the stuff out but I know it's going to be one looong weekend. :wink: Oh, and just to keep the neighbors entertained, when the power came on, there was this extremely alarming clicking sound in the basement, from the vicinity of the circuit breaker. FREAK ME OUT! So I called the non emergency # of our village and asked if they could come out and check it out - we still had too much water to risk walking in the basement. One ambulance, 2 firetrucks, the fire chief, another emergency services vehicle, *plus* Diva's girl scout leader (her husband is a fireman, she heard our addy on the radio) later.... it was apparently the dryer timer clicking (wasn't running when storm hit), which is right under the circuit breaker. Color me embarrassed but very relieved!
thank you weathered the storm just fine. They didn't lose power and I'm not really sure he noticed it. Thank goodness!
So folks - generators are the lesson of the day. I'm going to drink a very *large* glass of wine and head to bed. :smile:
Let me tell you, I have never been as terrified as I was during the storms. Round 1 hit about 3:45, winds like I haven't seen in my 20 years in the Midwest. Because I had been working, it took me *completely* by surprise. I was too busy trying to move Boo to a safe part of the house and get the dumb dog in to really fully appreciate what was happening outside.
Round 2 hit around dusk. This one I watched roll in. Almost continuous lightening, and definitely continuous thunder to the point that I thought it was a tornado, just this neverending deep rumbling noise. Big, multilevel and multicolor (white to black and everything in between) clouds that seemed to reach all the way to the ground. So glad Boo was here to keep me calm, LOL. No, not really - I was calm and soothing for him, but on the inside I just was completely flipping. husband was of course in NM with- Diva and Wee, visiting his parents. Poor guy - he was so worried.
Anyway, sump pump died at about 3:47 with the power. Started leaking up into the basement just as round 2 hit, so it was a secondary concern quite frankly. By 12 hours later, we had 3 feet of water in the basement. I did have my wits enough to turn off the pilot light on the water heater right away(couldn't budge the gas line itself). But I lost virtually every picture of the kids since 1989. All of husband's Navy stuff, plaques and commendations, the picture of his reenlistment on the Pearl Harbor Memorial and the commemorative flag that they flew over the Memorial before they gave it to him. Plus of course, washer, dryer, brand new furnace, water heater.... I'm having all the service men out Monday to check them, plus an electrician. I'm sure we lost much more, as we just got power back about an hour ago, but ... given how certain I was that Boo and I were goners yesterday (neurotic much?), I can live with- the losses I think.
I had hit the hardware stores this morning but there's not a generator to be had in the metro Chicago area. I'm ordering one online. We haven't even begun slogging the stuff out but I know it's going to be one looong weekend. :wink: Oh, and just to keep the neighbors entertained, when the power came on, there was this extremely alarming clicking sound in the basement, from the vicinity of the circuit breaker. FREAK ME OUT! So I called the non emergency # of our village and asked if they could come out and check it out - we still had too much water to risk walking in the basement. One ambulance, 2 firetrucks, the fire chief, another emergency services vehicle, *plus* Diva's girl scout leader (her husband is a fireman, she heard our addy on the radio) later.... it was apparently the dryer timer clicking (wasn't running when storm hit), which is right under the circuit breaker. Color me embarrassed but very relieved!
thank you weathered the storm just fine. They didn't lose power and I'm not really sure he noticed it. Thank goodness!
So folks - generators are the lesson of the day. I'm going to drink a very *large* glass of wine and head to bed. :smile: