This is definitely the biggest storm I can remember. Especially in terms of impact. We've had worse winds and more impressive weather, but the effects of this one basically taking out the whole infrastructure... roads closed to downed trees, the thousands of breaks in the power grid, no stores, no *gas*, phones, cable, Internet access... this is the biggest mess Washington has had in my memory.
Rosie-- you said something about forgetting to take enough cash and the card readers didn't work... that's something I'm taking away from this experience too. I don't tend to carry much cash. I do almost everything just with a debit card.
But even so, I keep a hundred folded up in my wallet for an emergency. I learned a hundred dollar bill may as well be monopoly money if you try to use it at the *one* convenience store that's open. The clerk will just blink at you and insist on not depleting their till of smaller bills making change. Understandable.
So... lesson is to keep a cash reserve in a box at home that includes enough small bills to actually be useful.
We had done the extra cash thing when we created a bug-out box after 9/11. Being so close to Boston, you just never know, and we could easily head West pretty quickly, if we needed to.
I dreamed about this very issue last night! Maybe the Lord is trying to tell me something! (Or maybe the common sense He gave me is just kicking in...)
I also felt the need to make sure my personal info is available to someone in the Hole. I believe g'nad has my home phone number and OT, don't you have my cell phone number?