Hurricane Sandy (2 Viewers)

[=Smackdown=]

Sorry to hear TLEF- that just sux.

Got a front of the line gas connection in South Ozone Park on North Conduit if anyone is around that area. Not the best of hoods but no wait for gas - depending on when my buddy is working.

And BTW. . . The fact that this gas situation is still going on is ASSININE!!!! ! !!!!

What a joke

 

[NYCelt]

This is getting ridiculous. I don't want this to sound like I am whining because I know hundreds of thousands in the metro area have it much worse than me. Just sharing an update and a frustrating update at that. We have gone from our house to a relatives to my parents on eastern LI and now in my friends basement. He got power back last night. No power in my house of course an no elec truck in sight. Just the wire dangling in my backyard. Had to come back because as o this morning kids were supposed to have school (school was cancelled all last week) tomorrow. So we packed up our stuff again jammed in the car and came back. Got a call just before five that school is cancelled again. Of course it is. When we got back we saw the school had no power and the traffic lights all around are still out.

Of course there is still ko gas. We tried all the way back and then some to refill. Nada.

At this point it is just aggravation. My baby daughter has been sick for a week and now the other two have it. my wife went to bed at seven she does not feel well and everyone is just in a foul mood. Our sitter had to go to PA because they have no power and there place ip there does. At this point I guess my wife and I will just swap taking days off.

All the politicians have disappeared of course after all there BS at the beginning of last week with the everything is returning to normal. Hearing the stories from those who are much left fortunate than us right now. No power no heat and no answers.

No answers on power, gas, school, voting or what is next. Everyone in positions of power have either disappeared or pointing the finger at someone else. It's like a f-ing third world country around here. Cue the looters.

 

[TLEF316]

Sorry to hear TLEF- that just sux.Got a front of the line gas connection in South Ozone Park on North Conduit if anyone is around that area. Not the best of hoods but no wait for gas - depending on when my buddy is working.And BTW. . . The fact that this gas situation is still going on is ASSININE!!!! ! !!!!What a joke

Mercer county, NJ has plenty of gas and no restrictions. Drove right into Princeton today and filled up in 5 minutes (although they only had premium).Meanwhile, 1 mile down the road, people waited in line at the border of somerset county.

 

[Rohn Jambo]

This is getting ridiculous. I don't want this to sound like I am whining because I know hundreds of thousands in the metro area have it much worse than me. Just sharing an update and a frustrating update at that. We have gone from our house to a relatives to my parents on eastern LI and now in my friends basement. He got power back last night. No power in my house of course an no elec truck in sight. Just the wire dangling in my backyard. Had to come back because as o this morning kids were supposed to have school (school was cancelled all last week) tomorrow. So we packed up our stuff again jammed in the car and came back. Got a call just before five that school is cancelled again. Of course it is. When we got back we saw the school had no power and the traffic lights all around are still out. Of course there is still ko gas. We tried all the way back and then some to refill. Nada. At this point it is just aggravation. My baby daughter has been sick for a week and now the other two have it. my wife went to bed at seven she does not feel well and everyone is just in a foul mood. Our sitter had to go to PA because they have no power and there place ip there does. At this point I guess my wife and I will just swap taking days off.All the politicians have disappeared of course after all there BS at the beginning of last week with the everything is returning to normal. Hearing the stories from those who are much left fortunate than us right now. No power no heat and no answers. No answers on power, gas, school, voting or what is next. Everyone in positions of power have either disappeared or pointing the finger at someone else. It's like a f-ing third world country around here. Cue the looters.

I didn't realize you're still out of power. Hang in there. More help is on the way...

 

[pittstownkiller]

This is getting ridiculous. I don't want this to sound like I am whining because I know hundreds of thousands in the metro area have it much worse than me. Just sharing an update and a frustrating update at that. We have gone from our house to a relatives to my parents on eastern LI and now in my friends basement. He got power back last night. No power in my house of course an no elec truck in sight. Just the wire dangling in my backyard. Had to come back because as o this morning kids were supposed to have school (school was cancelled all last week) tomorrow. So we packed up our stuff again jammed in the car and came back. Got a call just before five that school is cancelled again. Of course it is. When we got back we saw the school had no power and the traffic lights all around are still out. Of course there is still ko gas. We tried all the way back and then some to refill. Nada. At this point it is just aggravation. My baby daughter has been sick for a week and now the other two have it. my wife went to bed at seven she does not feel well and everyone is just in a foul mood. Our sitter had to go to PA because they have no power and there place ip there does. At this point I guess my wife and I will just swap taking days off.All the politicians have disappeared of course after all there BS at the beginning of last week with the everything is returning to normal. Hearing the stories from those who are much left fortunate than us right now. No power no heat and no answers. No answers on power, gas, school, voting or what is next. Everyone in positions of power have either disappeared or pointing the finger at someone else. It's like a f-ing third world country around here. Cue the looters.

Celt, where are you located; I may be able to help you with power.

 

[NYCelt]

I am fine. At my friends. I'd rather the help go to the poor souls stuck in their cold homes. Thanks very much though. If you have pull at lipa send them to garden city. Haha

 

[pittstownkiller]

I am glad you and your kids are in a warm house; good luck.

 

[shadyridr]

meh i think you fully earned the right to vent celt

 

[pittstownkiller]

Celt have you gone to the LIPA website; they have crews in Garden City. You can zoom into street level and see some estimated times for repairs.

 

[NYCelt]

Yeah. I understand they can't just snap their fingers and presto everyone has power. But there is no communication and seems to be little planning. Like now they are saying long beach schools may not open for months. Whoa. So far nobody has told people there what they are supposed to do about their kids education. It has been a week and now they come out with that and still can't give people options?? Lipa says there have 11,000 people working on this. Where?? The people I know in this town have not seen any kind of elec truck anywhere. The gas situation in central Nassau is no better than last week. We have five layers of government here and nobody has generators available to get gas stations powered up?? Not a one???

 

[NYCelt]

Celt have you gone to the LIPA website; they have crews in Garden City. You can zoom into street level and see some estimated times for repairs.

I drove around today and did not see one on my side of town at least. My friends say the same. All the schools are still out. Shouldn't they at least get them up and running to act as warmth centers and um schools oh and that is where we are supposed to vote Tuesday.

 

[pittstownkiller]

Celt have you gone to the LIPA website; they have crews in Garden City. You can zoom into street level and see some estimated times for repairs.

I drove around today and did not see one on my side of town at least. My friends say the same. All the schools are still out. Shouldn't they at least get them up and running to act as warmth centers and um schools oh and that is where we are supposed to vote Tuesday.

They electrify from the sub-stations out; now if your sub-station does not have power, you are in for a long haul.

 

[NYCelt]

I have no clue about my substation being up or down. Would be nice to know that after seven nights of no power. I guess I am not entitled to that info. I do know the wire is still dangling above the lawn in my backyard.

 

[NYCelt]

Oh on Friday lipa said 90% WILL have power by Wednesday. Yesterday they said 90% SHOULD have lower back by wed. Tonight the key word was HOPE. We hope to have .... Getting a bad feelIng about this now. We lost power for six night during Irene. But at least it was warm. My buddy just posted a picture on facebook. Him and his two boys in front of a fire tonight. Their heat and light on night seven. Will drop to 34 tonight and will be worse all week.

 

[mr roboto]

Is restoring power a simple matter of prioritizing areas/buildings or is there a certain necessary order to the repairs (must do A before B then we can go to C and so on)?

 

[NYCelt]

Is restoring power a simple matter of prioritizing areas/buildings or is there a certain necessary order to the repairs (must do A before B then we can go to C and so on)?

Information like this would be helpful. But after six nights of no power with Irene and seven now we still have no clue.

 

[pittstownkiller]

Is restoring power a simple matter of prioritizing areas/buildings or is there a certain necessary order to the repairs (must do A before B then we can go to C and so on)?

It generally involves bringing the high voltage to the sub-station, then branching out from there; first down the main roads, then down the secondary roads. The idea is that by starting at the sub-station they can energize section as they repair them without having men needing to work on poles with live wires.

 

[Mario Kart]

Not to throw a curve ball in this discussion or anything but how could the whole power grid be "fixed" or better constructed than it already is? Just wondering if these type of accidents and disasters make people think about fixing the bigger problem rather than patching up what we currently have.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Not to throw a curve ball in this discussion or anything but how could the whole power grid be "fixed" or better constructed than it already is? Just wondering if these type of accidents and disasters make people think about fixing the bigger problem rather than patching up what we currently have.

Subterranean power linesOtherwise you are at the mercy of falling trees, etc

 

[=Smackdown=]

garden city

I know the area well - went to Adelphi and my Mom is there.Could not believe the amount of trees down in Garden City. And not just small trees HUGE suckers. Stewart Ave and the road that leads behind Adelphi and the golf course? Think it's Cambridge and Cherry Valley road. One monster after another- a big tree massacre.Hope you have power soon Celt

 

[comfortably numb]

Is restoring power a simple matter of prioritizing areas/buildings or is there a certain necessary order to the repairs (must do A before B then we can go to C and so on)?

Information like this would be helpful. But after six nights of no power with Irene and seven now we still have no clue.

I hear a lot of people complaining about lack of communication from the power companies and rightfully so.I know when i was at the gas company and we had shortages, we would have about enough to service 60 stations per day, and yet had 200 stations in need.The only problem with communicating with the customers is you will never win.If you lay out the plan...we will get service to QueensManhattanBronxStaten IslandIn that order within the next 6 days.While people would like to hear a schedule like this of some sort...the second you don't get power out to someone when you said you would you get killed.YOU told me XYZ, where is my power! You suck!More so, the inevitable...when you release any timetable with whose town will get power..the last town on the list now begins to complain.Why is Queens 1st? Staten Island has more people!Is Queens 1st, because they have more $?? more white people?? etc...Not to mention the power companies are working with crews they are unfamiliar with and there will always be setbacks. People don't wanna hear about setbacks when you told them a date.It's not easy, and I am not saying the power companies shouldn't communicate better so we could plan ahead, but any plan you put out will be dissected before you start working and heavily scrutinized when you don't fulfill.My town sent out a text saying power will be restored at noon.We got it finally at 8PM, but from noon to 8PM, people were heading down to the municipal building to see what was going on and to get some answers.In a perfect world, you set out a schedule, it gets completed on time and people patiently wait their turn.

 

[Yankee23Fan]

LBI bring opened to residents only from 7 to noon to get stuff assess damage and get out. Took over an hour to get to my office and it should take ten minutes. Its gonna get ugly when they shut the bridge down again if people stuck in traffic didn't get on.

 

[sdp1226]

garden city

I know the area well - went to Adelphi and my Mom is there.Could not believe the amount of trees down in Garden City. And not just small trees HUGE suckers. Stewart Ave and the road that leads behind Adelphi and the golf course? Think it's Cambridge and Cherry Valley road. One monster after another- a big tree massacre.Hope you have power soon Celt

It really is an unbelievable scene to see all of the massive treed ripped out at the roots the was that they are. Hang in there Celt, power should be restored to you soon. My parents live in that village and just got it back on last night.

 

[Henry Ford]

LBI bring opened to residents only from 7 to noon to get stuff assess damage and get out. Took over an hour to get to my office and it should take ten minutes. Its gonna get ugly when they shut the bridge down again if people stuck in traffic didn't get on.

Think I still have my black pajamas and ski mask from sneaking back in after Katrina. PM with an address to mail them to.

 

[Apple Jack]

Not to throw a curve ball in this discussion or anything but how could the whole power grid be "fixed" or better constructed than it already is? Just wondering if these type of accidents and disasters make people think about fixing the bigger problem rather than patching up what we currently have.

Subterranean power linesOtherwise you are at the mercy of falling trees, etc

There is no "fixed." Sometimes #### happens. Even subterranean power lines have been at the mercy of burrowing animals who disrupt the line, which is not nearly as easily fixed as your garden-variety above ground tree on a line scenario. It's far less common, but it happens. And much of the NYC power lines are underground and they still were without power for days. The "bigger problem" is a once in a generation storm.

 

[Sammy3469]

Not to throw a curve ball in this discussion or anything but how could the whole power grid be "fixed" or better constructed than it already is? Just wondering if these type of accidents and disasters make people think about fixing the bigger problem rather than patching up what we currently have.

Subterranean power linesOtherwise you are at the mercy of falling trees, etc

There is no "fixed." Sometimes #### happens. Even subterranean power lines have been at the mercy of burrowing animals who disrupt the line, which is not nearly as easily fixed as your garden-variety above ground tree on a line scenario. It's far less common, but it happens. And much of the NYC power lines are underground and they still were without power for days. The "bigger problem" is a once in a generation storm.

My parents have had underground lines in NC for 40 years now and never have had it out for burrowing animals. Their power also comes back online faster when hurricanes/ice storms go through the RDU area. It's not fullproof since it transitions to above ground between the substation and them, but it's a whole lot better than having them above ground.

 

[glock]

So, my wife lucked into a 5500w Varsi generator with a Subaru motor Saturday through our employer. All bright yellow and full of promise- having been patched into my box courtesy of my brother the electrician that afternoon- it now sits quietly in my driveway. We can't get it started...



Perhaps it's for the better. I only have 3 one gallon cans and there are none to be found anywhere. On a brighter note I did manage to locate a "secret" cache of 1lb propane tanks- limit, 2 per customer per purchase- to feed the Mr Heater heater around which we sat downstairs last night. Though the temps plunged to around 45 degrees upstairs, the heater combine with a few logs in the fireplace made for a decent evening downstairs. I moved the heater up to my son's room for a bit so he could go to bed in comfort, and Mrs glock and I cozyed up on the futon down there. After all- we had also just scored our first hot showers since last Sunday at my sisters apartment...

 

[Politician Spock]

Not to throw a curve ball in this discussion or anything but how could the whole power grid be "fixed" or better constructed than it already is? Just wondering if these type of accidents and disasters make people think about fixing the bigger problem rather than patching up what we currently have.

Subterranean power linesOtherwise you are at the mercy of falling trees, etc

There is no "fixed." Sometimes #### happens. Even subterranean power lines have been at the mercy of burrowing animals who disrupt the line, which is not nearly as easily fixed as your garden-variety above ground tree on a line scenario. It's far less common, but it happens. And much of the NYC power lines are underground and they still were without power for days. The "bigger problem" is a once in a generation storm.

My parents have had underground lines in NC for 40 years now and never have had it out for burrowing animals. Their power also comes back online faster when hurricanes/ice storms go through the RDU area. It's not fullproof since it transitions to above ground between the substation and them, but it's a whole lot better than having them above ground.

I think Apple Jack is playing semantics with the word "fixed". Subterranean lines are far less prone to problems than over ground lines. They aren't perfect, but I'm not one to say it's not "fixed" because the new way isn't perfect. If the new way is far better than the old way, then in my mind it is a good fix, even if the new way itself isn't perfect either.

 

[Doug B]

I do not expect the gas stations to have pagers ready but FEMA should have provided something to prevent exactly the same thing that happened after Katrina from happening in NYC and NJ. They had much more time to think of a plan.

Gas shortages didn't happen after Katrina. Not the way they are now in Sandy's aftermath, anyway. Lot's of different conditions. There was much lower population affected in Katrina, about half of whom had evacuated fairly far away (75+ miles). Now then, the people who stayed in New Orleans and were trying to buy gas for generators typically had to drive to Baton Rouge to get gas until even the first few N.O. stations came back online (which took a few weeks). Gas stations in Baton Rouge and points west were certainly busy, and you might have had to wait a few cars in that first week or so after Katrina ... but no waiting around for hours to buy gas.Every disaster is its own thing, with brand-new unforeseen challenges. I don't think gasoline was considered even remotely a post-storm necessity by emergency planners -- especially those with primarily hurricane experience who could take post-storm warm weather as a given in the equation.

Are gasoline & heating oil access problematic after bad blizzards?

 

[Apple Jack]

Not to throw a curve ball in this discussion or anything but how could the whole power grid be "fixed" or better constructed than it already is? Just wondering if these type of accidents and disasters make people think about fixing the bigger problem rather than patching up what we currently have.

Subterranean power linesOtherwise you are at the mercy of falling trees, etc

There is no "fixed." Sometimes #### happens. Even subterranean power lines have been at the mercy of burrowing animals who disrupt the line, which is not nearly as easily fixed as your garden-variety above ground tree on a line scenario. It's far less common, but it happens. And much of the NYC power lines are underground and they still were without power for days. The "bigger problem" is a once in a generation storm.

My parents have had underground lines in NC for 40 years now and never have had it out for burrowing animals. Their power also comes back online faster when hurricanes/ice storms go through the RDU area. It's not fullproof since it transitions to above ground between the substation and them, but it's a whole lot better than having them above ground.

I think Apple Jack is playing semantics with the word "fixed". Subterranean lines are far less prone to problems than over ground lines. They aren't perfect, but I'm not one to say it's not "fixed" because the new way isn't perfect. If the new way is far better than the old way, then in my mind it is a good fix, even if the new way itself isn't perfect either.

That wasn't the bulk of my point. The point was that much of NYC is already underground and they were still without power for days.

 

[Doug B]

Ground problems:dovetailing with what may be unprecedented impact is one factor somewhat ignored and absent in most disasters FEMA prepares for In southern hurricanes and western earthquakes: cold. I was told today that FEMA did show up by Wednesday, with MRE's and water which was needed and appreciated. Howecer. Not One blanket. Crazy to Think and yes they should have thought of everything but with limited space to load supplies, that this went overlooked shows how unprecedented this was. Here's hoping they learn with each disaster. The cold coming on and the snow possibly this week add a whole new layer to this thing

Forget FEMA for a second -- did any of the New Jersey or New York emergency managment agencies help get blankets out? Or any voluntary organizations (e.g. Red Cross)?

One thing that FEMA and most state emergency agencies aim to do is piggyback locales with voluntary organizations (and vice versa, too). This way, when people come for emergency supplies, it's a one-stop ship and no one has to go here for food and down the street for water, and further down for blankets. Is that not happening?

 

[Fennis]

How did Delmarva and Duxbury do in Sandy?

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Ground problems:dovetailing with what may be unprecedented impact is one factor somewhat ignored and absent in most disasters FEMA prepares for In southern hurricanes and western earthquakes: cold. I was told today that FEMA did show up by Wednesday, with MRE's and water which was needed and appreciated. Howecer. Not One blanket. Crazy to Think and yes they should have thought of everything but with limited space to load supplies, that this went overlooked shows how unprecedented this was. Here's hoping they learn with each disaster. The cold coming on and the snow possibly this week add a whole new layer to this thing

Forget FEMA for a second -- did any of the New Jersey or New York emergency managment agencies help get blankets out? Or any voluntary organizations (e.g. Red Cross)?

One thing that FEMA and most state emergency agencies aim to do is piggyback locales with voluntary organizations (and vice versa, too). This way, when people come for emergency supplies, it's a one-stop ship and no one has to go here for food and down the street for water, and further down for blankets. Is that not happening?

FEMA doesnt plan jack, they dont have physical resources except for man-power. A disaster is a LOCAL issue. All FEMA does is come in and help organize and speed up, if possible, the recovery process. So if your local jurisdiction did not have an emergency operations plan (EOP) on the books, it's on them, not on FEMA.It's up to your local Emergency Management Department to have had a plan in place for where and what level of supplies, equipment, volunteers, etc., are available in your local jurisdiction.

 

[jamny]

Hopefully the bulk of the gas shortage issue is resolved over the next few days. I'm thinking it will. At 5:30 this morning, the 3 gas stations I passed each had a 40-50 car line waiting.

 

[Doug B]

Is restoring power a simple matter of prioritizing areas/buildings or is there a certain necessary order to the repairs (must do A before B then we can go to C and so on)?

It generally involves bringing the high voltage to the sub-station, then branching out from there; first down the main roads, then down the secondary roads. The idea is that by starting at the sub-station they can energize section as they repair them without having men needing to work on poles with live wires.

Also, around here, police/fire stations/hospitals are prioritized. People living near those are typically back on within 12-24 hours even if their surrounding area is out for several days.

 

[Copeman]

I work for a fuels/gas company, and since last week our company (in Pittsburgh) has been sending truckloads upon truckloads of gasoline to the affected areas. The drivers are saying it's a nightmare getting to the places. We are putting aside deliveries to many of our customers in order to do so. It's pretty much a logistical nightmare, but we are trying.

 

[Koya]

garden city

I know the area well - went to Adelphi and my Mom is there.Could not believe the amount of trees down in Garden City. And not just small trees HUGE suckers. Stewart Ave and the road that leads behind Adelphi and the golf course? Think it's Cambridge and Cherry Valley road. One monster after another- a big tree massacre.Hope you have power soon Celt

I've heard Garden City was hit hard, exacerbated by some corner cutting tree repair folks who, when they did root repair for sidewalk cracking basically cut the roots out, leaving the trees really off balance and prone to this type of event.My friends up in Brookville are looking at days more before they are restored.

 

[=Smackdown=]

I guess all the fuel tankers . . . .



before they got to the Tri-State area every day for the past week.

 

[Doug B]

Not to throw a curve ball in this discussion or anything but how could the whole power grid be "fixed" or better constructed than it already is? Just wondering if these type of accidents and disasters make people think about fixing the bigger problem rather than patching up what we currently have.

Subterranean power linesOtherwise you are at the mercy of falling trees, etc

IIRC, pretty much all of Houston has buried power lines, and they barely had power outages even after a big storms like Hurricanes Rita (2005) and Ike (2008).The idea is regularly tossed around in New Orleans after major storms. It's just not financially feasible -- the price tag is supposed to be north of $10 billion, and I'm sure beating the engineering challenges caused by our high water table has a lot to do with that estimate. Maybe if these storms were hitting N.O. twice a year or something.

 

[=Smackdown=]

garden city

I know the area well - went to Adelphi and my Mom is there.Could not believe the amount of trees down in Garden City. And not just small trees HUGE suckers. Stewart Ave and the road that leads behind Adelphi and the golf course? Think it's Cambridge and Cherry Valley road. One monster after another- a big tree massacre.

Hope you have power soon Celt

I've heard Garden City was hit hard, exacerbated by some corner cutting tree repair folks who, when they did root repair for sidewalk cracking basically cut the roots out, leaving the trees really off balance and prone to this type of event.My friends up in Brookville are looking at days more before they are restored.

That would certainly explain all these monster trees down - one after the other.

 

[guru_007]

IIRC, pretty much all of Houston has buried power lines, and they barely had power outages even after a big storms like Hurricanes Rita (2005) and Ike (2008).

incorrectI live in Houston, and am a native Long Islander. I have tons of family and friends in the Northeast. It's understandably a difficult time.I believe there are a number of massive issues leading to the problems that the NE is having after this storm. For one, the population mass alone between NJ/NY/LI and CT is huge. And in a very dense space.Further, just the trees are different. In Houston, we have taller and leaner trees whilst the NE has huge trees that are difficult to move/cut up and create much more damage to power lines, streets, houses, etc.... than tall pines do.I feel for all the people posting in here, I really do, it's got to be totally frustrating. But, there is a lot of work to be done. I know everyone wants to be the first back up with power....and sometimes you get lucky...but sometimes you don't. And I can only imagine it being a logistical nightmare getting gas to the stations. I'm honestly not sure why every one is in such dire need of gas. My house was without electricity for nearly a week after Ike. Yes, it sucked. There were gas shortages here too, and maxes put on how much gas you could buy. I just stayed around my neighborhood for a week. I didn't need gas so direly that I would wait in line for hours. If I found a gas station with a short line, I topped off. I'm not sure subterranean lines are a feasible economic option. This was a storm that happens once maybe a lifetime. Good luck to all affected. I've read so many stories that break my heart.

 

[Fat Nick]

Civilization...hello.

I'm back at work today. Still no power at home (Flemington NJ area). It appears that literally every neighborhood around us has power. Given that if you take a right out of our cul-de-sac, you run into about 3 trees tangled in a few wires and broken poles, I'm guessing we may be one of the "some" referred to when they say "For most, power will be back by Wednesday, for some, it may be next week."

Needless to say, this is really starting to wear on me. The wife and I have been staying at friends for a few nights, but it doesn't really help my sanity much. I'd honestly rather be in my own house in the dark. We have a small (1000W) generator that is enough to power the fridge, and the TV if we want it. It's been a cycle of going from friends to home to power up the generator and run the fridge, etc, and make a fire for long enough that the house stays tolerable. Basically, once this deep freeze hits, I think the fish may have to bite the dust. I had a great birthday last week with no power.

We haven't had too much issue with gas...but I have to drive like 1:30 to work now as the friends are in the wrong direction. If I can't get gas tomorrow, I can't come in on Wednesday.

I've never seen anything like this in my life. We drove by one of the power crew "camps," and it was lit up like a state fair with tents and all sorts of stuff. But I have yet to see a single truck down my road.

 

[Ignoratio Elenchi]

When the power went out at my house around 4pm on Monday, we packed up some stuff and drove over to my wife's parents' house in the next town over just before the storm really got bad. Their power went out around 8pm on Monday, but they have a small wood-burning stove so we could at least stay warm. The power is still out at both of our houses. Judging by the power lines laying all over the street near my in-laws' house and the lack of power trucks anywhere in sight, they're not getting power back any time soon. I'm hoping that my house will have power at some point soon but the neighborhood rumors are that we're looking at Friday restoration at the earliest. I hate to complain because other than the power outage and a few small holes in the roof caused by falling branches, we're fine. Many people are much much worse off than we are - this has mostly been an incovenience for us, that's all. But a week of no power, with no end in sight, does start to wear on your patience anyway. So far we haven't needed to wait for gas (no generator, and we haven't been driving anywhere) but at some point that will begin to be a concern if the power continues to be off. I did commute into the office today and it's good to at least be able to see other people, get on the internet for a bit, feel connected to the world again.

Hope everyone out there is doing well.

 

[Koya]

garden city

I know the area well - went to Adelphi and my Mom is there.Could not believe the amount of trees down in Garden City. And not just small trees HUGE suckers. Stewart Ave and the road that leads behind Adelphi and the golf course? Think it's Cambridge and Cherry Valley road. One monster after another- a big tree massacre.

Hope you have power soon Celt

I've heard Garden City was hit hard, exacerbated by some corner cutting tree repair folks who, when they did root repair for sidewalk cracking basically cut the roots out, leaving the trees really off balance and prone to this type of event.My friends up in Brookville are looking at days more before they are restored.

That would certainly explain all these monster trees down - one after the other.

Hard this first hand from a homeowner who's beautiful white maple (or some fancy garden city living tree) toppled over and that was the cause. His neighbors have seen the same thing.Regarding putting wires underground, this is another example of the inefficiencies of suburbia. I've heard a ballpark figure of about a million PER POLE. Think about it, you need to replace all the equipment to have it viable for underground use, you need to tear up the roadway, install the pipes, then the wiring, plus access points.

Now keep in mind that much of Long Island isn't even skewered, so you are digging fresh tunnels under basically every street... Is an enourmous undertaking to repair the poorly planned sprawl - the same sprawl which renders us useless without a lot of gasoline, mind you.

 

[glock]

garden city

I know the area well - went to Adelphi and my Mom is there.Could not believe the amount of trees down in Garden City. And not just small trees HUGE suckers. Stewart Ave and the road that leads behind Adelphi and the golf course? Think it's Cambridge and Cherry Valley road. One monster after another- a big tree massacre.

Hope you have power soon Celt

I've heard Garden City was hit hard, exacerbated by some corner cutting tree repair folks who, when they did root repair for sidewalk cracking basically cut the roots out, leaving the trees really off balance and prone to this type of event.My friends up in Brookville are looking at days more before they are restored.

That would certainly explain all these monster trees down - one after the other.

Hard this first hand from a homeowner who's beautiful white maple (or some fancy garden city living tree) toppled over and that was the cause. His neighbors have seen the same thing.Regarding putting wires underground, this is another example of the inefficiencies of suburbia. I've heard a ballpark figure of about a million PER POLE. Think about it, you need to replace all the equipment to have it viable for underground use, you need to tear up the roadway, install the pipes, then the wiring, plus access points.

Now keep in mind that much of Long Island isn't even skewered, so you are digging fresh tunnels under basically every street... Is an enourmous undertaking to repair the poorly planned sprawl - the same sprawl which renders us useless without a lot of gasoline, mind you.

Almost all of the blow down of trees lining the streets near me has occurred on the west side of streets and you can see by the root development that these "town" trees were planted too close to the curbs. Not only to they interfere with power lines they end up vulnerable to winds like we saw. Real lack of thought involved when these were planted some 50 years ago...

 

[NYCelt]

Hopefully the bulk of the gas shortage issue is resolved over the next few days. I'm thinking it will. At 5:30 this morning, the 3 gas stations I passed each had a 40-50 car line waiting.

Just got back from an hour of searching for gas and running s few errands. Nothing. And I mean nothing in his area. There are lines o hundreds of cars for the one that was open and at least sixty people on foot with gas cans. There are lines for blocks waiting at stations with no gas. Cops called in to most stations as you can see the lights flashing. Day eight.

 

[PinkydaPimp]

Hopefully the bulk of the gas shortage issue is resolved over the next few days. I'm thinking it will. At 5:30 this morning, the 3 gas stations I passed each had a 40-50 car line waiting.

Just got back from an hour of searching for gas and running s few errands. Nothing. And I mean nothing in his area. There are lines o hundreds of cars for the one that was open and at least sixty people on foot with gas cans. There are lines for blocks waiting at stations with no gas. Cops called in to most stations as you can see the lights flashing. Day eight.

where are you located?I can report that NJ is getting better. I was able to get gas in Jersey City right outside the holland tunnel twice today in under 20 minutes. these lines were 4+ hours 2 days ago.

 

[comfortably numb]

Civilization...hello.I'm back at work today. Still no power at home (Flemington NJ area). It appears that literally every neighborhood around us has power. Given that if you take a right out of our cul-de-sac, you run into about 3 trees tangled in a few wires and broken poles, I'm guessing we may be one of the "some" referred to when they say "For most, power will be back by Wednesday, for some, it may be next week." Needless to say, this is really starting to wear on me. The wife and I have been staying at friends for a few nights, but it doesn't really help my sanity much. I'd honestly rather be in my own house in the dark. We have a small (1000W) generator that is enough to power the fridge, and the TV if we want it. It's been a cycle of going from friends to home to power up the generator and run the fridge, etc, and make a fire for long enough that the house stays tolerable. Basically, once this deep freeze hits, I think the fish may have to bite the dust. I had a great birthday last week with no power. We haven't had too much issue with gas...but I have to drive like 1:30 to work now as the friends are in the wrong direction. If I can't get gas tomorrow, I can't come in on Wednesday.I've never seen anything like this in my life. We drove by one of the power crew "camps," and it was lit up like a state fair with tents and all sorts of stuff. But I have yet to see a single truck down my road.

I work is Hillsborough. If there is anything I can help with just let me know.

 

[Doug B]

IIRC, pretty much all of Houston has buried power lines, and they barely had power outages even after a big storms like Hurricanes Rita (2005) and Ike (2008).

incorrectI live in Houston, and am a native Long Islander. I have tons of family and friends in the Northeast. It's understandably a difficult time.

I'll submit to your more personal knowledge, but I still understand that post-major-hurricane power outages in Houston (as opposed to Galveston and other areas closer to water) were both fewer/lesser in (a) number of customers out and (b) average duration. Significantly so, as I understood it.

 

[Fat Nick]

Civilization...hello.I'm back at work today. Still no power at home (Flemington NJ area). It appears that literally every neighborhood around us has power. Given that if you take a right out of our cul-de-sac, you run into about 3 trees tangled in a few wires and broken poles, I'm guessing we may be one of the "some" referred to when they say "For most, power will be back by Wednesday, for some, it may be next week." Needless to say, this is really starting to wear on me. The wife and I have been staying at friends for a few nights, but it doesn't really help my sanity much. I'd honestly rather be in my own house in the dark. We have a small (1000W) generator that is enough to power the fridge, and the TV if we want it. It's been a cycle of going from friends to home to power up the generator and run the fridge, etc, and make a fire for long enough that the house stays tolerable. Basically, once this deep freeze hits, I think the fish may have to bite the dust. I had a great birthday last week with no power. We haven't had too much issue with gas...but I have to drive like 1:30 to work now as the friends are in the wrong direction. If I can't get gas tomorrow, I can't come in on Wednesday.I've never seen anything like this in my life. We drove by one of the power crew "camps," and it was lit up like a state fair with tents and all sorts of stuff. But I have yet to see a single truck down my road.

I work is Hillsborough. If there is anything I can help with just let me know.

Thanks. Much appreciated. How's the gas situation down there? Tomorrow is my day to fill up. I drive from Flemington up to Madison for work, and I don't drive by many stations. If Hillsborough has gas without much issue, it may be worth my while to go down that way and then cut back up to Flemington.