OT Storm Sandy

Thanks Ginger for the hopes. All safe here, power didn't even go out. Lots of beach erosion, winds and rain. Cooler temps finally. We certainly have a lot of standing water. We are about 15 miles from the beaches so things get a little dicey. Anna Belle in Palm Bay

this storm appears, unless it is attacking your fabric stash ;)

Thanks for asking about us Ginger Anna, it is good to know you are OK. Here in Central FL we had scattered showers on Thurs., and lots of wind on Friday. This morning is a lot cooler, cloudy, and windy ( 64 when we got up at 8) and it has warmed up to 70. I don't think the day will get as warm as predicted. Looks like it might rain anytime. Barbara in Central FL

Whew! I was worried that someone would blame me .... ;) To all in the path of the storm, stay safe and don't take chances!

this storm appears, unless it is attacking your fabric stash ;)

I understand there was snow in the south east of England yesterday, too. I am now safely in the west - where it just rains (for the moment anyway!( . In message , Roberta writes

We had a sprinkling of snow here in Derbyshire on Friday morning.

it seems any year we get an early snow and the ski areas are able to open early the season poops out pretty quick. Don't know if that is good or bad but hope all you folks on the other side of the country are hunkered down and staying safe. TAria

That is *early*. H>> I understand there was snow in the south east of England yesterday, too.

What a dreadful storm - I pray and hope everyone affected will be safe.

On Oct 27, 10:07=A0am, Ginger in CA wrote:

ve as this storm appears, unless it is attacking your fabric stash ;)

Guess I'll be the first to check in on this thread. Here in Central NJ things are spotty at best. We lost power about 6:30 Mon. PM and are still out. Current claims are maybe Mon. 11/5. Fortunately we have a generator and gas heat/hot water/cooking so we're in pretty good shape all things considered. We're warm, can shower with hot water, and cook meals. DH has changed this around in the basement a few times so this AM was able to have coffee AND TV at the same time! Oh happy day! Right now, no TV as we (fortunately) have a reallllly long extension cord that I was able to get to the battery back up and plug in the computer! Personally very little damage - a trellis; small piece of flashing on the house; and a couple of small tree limbs. There was a huge pine tree on the far side of our driveway that fell into the wires. BIL and friends managed to deal with that but it did pull the wires out of the insulators on the pole. So even when the rest of town gets up and running I fear we'll be one of the last ones on the list. 6 houses and 3 small business are not a priority when there are still millions without. Understandable. Haven't ventured to far from home yet - little point as most places don't have power but that is slowly changing. Numerous trees in houses and on cars. But very mild in comparison to our shore areas. If you haven't seen it on the news, but I can't imagine how not, those areas have just been destroyed. The sand levels in areas beyond the beach where it's supposed to be are being described as a blizzard that won't melt.

Hope anyone else here in the path is doing at least half as good. And thanks for the well wishes from everyone here.

Kim in NJ

So glad to hear you're safe, Kim. We've been watching the coverage on TV. It's reminiscent of Katrina and even our own flooding a few years ago, but our flooding (while painful - and we're still recovering) wasn't nearly as devastating to as many people as are being affected by Sandy. I think that sometimes we forget how many people are located on the east coast!

Here's hoping things get back to normal - or at least better than now - soon.

Louise > >> Hope everyone is braced for the storm making the news. Take care, all. >>

as this storm appears, unless it is attacking your fabric stash ;)

as this storm appears, unless it is attacking your fabric stash ;)

When I lived in the country, we always lost our internet and phone service = was sketchy when it rained. Doves would roost on the wires, hunters would = shoot at them with shotguns and create 'leaks' in the outer coating on the = wires. Rain got into the 'leaks' and caused outages. Also, squirrels wou= ld chew the overhead wires or would get fried inside the transformers with = their bodies causing a short and taking out the electrical service for the = whole area. There are many reasons underground wires would be a huge impro= vement. =20

Leslie & The Furbabies > thanks for the report! Hope it gets fixed sooner than you expect. >=20

ctive as this storm appears, unless it is attacking your fabric stash ;)

ctive as this storm appears, unless it is attacking your fabric stash ;)

We could only hope & pray that utilities would go underground here! We live in a very tiny town (1 sq. mile) surrounded by a pretty rural area. We're really not that far from 'civilization' but we're also not in an area that has big numbers or major businesses so we're fairly low on the totem pole, at least in my mind. While some things are improving, others are not. Gasoline availability is a major issue currently. Either stations without power that can't pump; stations that have gas running out as deliveries can't be made due to road closures; couple of local refineries offline due to storm. Thankfully all our vehicles were filled pre-storm. I haven't done much driving, nor has DH as he works very local. Worst case, we can always pull gas from the vehicles to fill the generator!

Somehow we managed to escape with not much damage when just a few miles away people lost everything. We lost power for only 6 hours and lost two huge trees. One is still leaning and we will probably have to wait weeks to get it taken down. The other went across the road so the town removed it.

A friend, just a few miles away, lost her entire house. She was closer to the bay and lower elevation. The water came up 7' and the house was knocked off it's foundation. Someone's boat landed in her living room.

Now we are facing gas problems with shortages and price gouging. Hopefully that will be alleviated soon as the terminals are opened.

It saddened me greatly to see what happened in Far Rockaway and Breezy Point. That is an area I lived in as a young child.

Next week, our schools are open for staff who will be told where to report based on where power is restored. It is still closed for students.

Linda PATCHogue (Long Island), NY

Howdy! Really good to hear from you, Linda!

R/Sandy

I have a group of 4th and 5th graders who are making quilts for children who have displaced or families that have suffered extensive damage. The school district I work in was much harder hit than my immediate area. Many are staying in motels or with relatives now. Some have been without power since the storm.

If any >>> thanks for the report! Hope it gets fixed sooner than you expect.

destructive as this storm appears, unless it is attacking your fabric stash ;)