Things I learned since Hurricane Isabelle

E-mail | September 30th 2003 | Unknown

[Mad Dawgg]

For all of you East coasters who suffered Isabel's wrath.

[JZoback]

Been there, done that.

I feel your pain! (Did I really say that?)

Hurricane Andrew

[snopercod]

Lotta' truth there.

...and for the rural people on wells, "Your toilet still works just fine if you pour buckets of water into the tank."

[gracex7]

It's frightening to realize how dependent we are on modern conveniences.

That being said, thankfully, necessity is still the mother of invention.

I wonder who was more annoying by day 4...the cat or the kids without their video games

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Is the Midtown Tunnel still closed? Traffic's a mess even when it's open - I can imagine what it's like when closed.

I feel so lucky - only lost a foundation vent, no tree damage, power out for 24 hours. Life is good in Bumpass!

[CDHart]

"...and for the rural people on wells,"

One problem with that is that if the well doesn't work, where will you get the water to pour down the toilet to make it work? Luckily we have a big pond/small lake, also an Earth stove to back up our electric heat, oil lamps, candles and a small generator for the freezer & fridge. City people perhaps should prepare a little better and not be so dependent on civilization.

Carolyn

[DCPatriot]

* Cats are even more irritating without power

Excuse me? My ragdoll and I bonded just fine.

A week without electricity will do that.

[KarlInOhio]

* Cats are even more irritating without power

You should have gotten a couple battery operated cats for emergencies.

[judicial meanz]

My experiences:

* there is always an idiot trying to charge $3.00 per bag of ice when they know you dont have any electricity and FEMA isnt in the area with a disaster station.

* Some trees cost up to $10,000 to remove from your house ( didnt happen to me, but did to a neighbor)

* trailer parks like the one down the road ceased to exist after an hour of the storm. Almost every trailer had a tree through the roof.

* When the food distribution warehouses for your local stores lose power for a week and a half, they throw out the spoiled food, and food shortages will exist for several weeks. Bread and milk are the worst shortages.

* Your neighbors will help you dig out, and everyone pitches in to help eah other.

* If your house is damaged, your insurance agent will be in hiding for a week.

* If your car is damaged, see the above.

* There are some managers in the world who make their employees work right up until the hurricane starts and then release them, causing them injuries as they try to go home in the storm.

[Severa]

Yeah we got lucky here, no flooding or tree damage. Just a really nasty smelling fridge and freezer. We had stayed at a friend's mom's house (in FL no less!) with the kids while our husbands ships got shoved out to sea. My husband later tells me they actually SURFACED in the middle of the friggin storm. Asleep when it happened, he got one rude awakening as he nearly got sent flying out of the rack.

[GreyWolf]

Can anyone tell me why "pitcher hand pumps" are illegal (at least in Maryland)? A friend has a well with a hand pump for watering livestock. During Isabel a lot of his neighbors used it to get water. Word got out and he was cited for having the pump. Something about an unsafe wellhead.

[cooldog]

The issue is that they can allow flow of water back down into the aquafer, contaminating it, so that other wells in the area become unusable.

Most well regulations are sensible, if annoying to deal with.

When I installed some geothermal HVAC systems here, I needed to upgrade my well to deliver more water; although I did it myself, I researched the regulations, and followed them very carefully. With the exception, of course, of having a licensed well-driller do the work!

[CapandBall]

Hey Bumpass, you got a freeper neighbor in Reva. We lost power for 72 hrs.

[Corin Stormhands]

I wonder who was more annoying by day 4...the cat or the kids without their video games

First couple of nights, my wife would comment about how good our house looks in candlelight. Real romantic. All nice and colonial.

That was over on about day three (of 8).

[BubbaBasher]

Things I learned:

* There were no lines to fill my diesel truck.
* I need to have more than one gas can to feed my generator.
* Make sure the generator works BEFORE the storm hits.
* Dogs can in fact poop in 60 mph winds if they really have to.
* Having no trees on my property is a good thing.
* The people predicting a birth explosion 9 months from now have never lived a in house with no air conditioning.
* There are a lot of idiots in this world!

[coloradan]

Toilets will also work if you pour the water forcefully into the bowl, skipping the tank altogether. It uses less water, too, once you get the knack for how to pour correctly.

[ContemptofCourt]

Ditto. A great life lesson, though.....

[Psalm118]

" Kids can survive 4 days or longer without a video game controller in their hand".

Ohhhhh ?????


ON PLANET EARTH ????

[Deguello]

Bump.

[LTCJ]

..and for the rural people on wells, "Your toilet still works just fine if you pour buckets of water into the tank."

OTOH, if you're on a septic tank when the water table is 1" above ground level, extra water in the bowl is not your friend.