A big ice storm hit starting Thursday evening in my area in N.C. and I'm still without power starting into the 4th day. About 7 trees om my property fell over power lines and are still blocking the street in front of my house. Fortunately I can get out of my driveway by going to the left but to the right the street is completely blocked. About 6 years ago a similar storm hit and I had a generator hard wired into my house so I've been really fortunate to have backup power. We sure do take those light switches on the wall for granted.
4th day without power
- Thread starter gman2304
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The southeast always seems to be a bulleye for storms, hurricanes, etc.
Wishing you and your neighbors the best, you'll make it through this ok!
Wishing you and your neighbors the best, you'll make it through this ok!
Thanks for the well wishes, Yes I'm in the triad area...High Point, but not to worry...the city manager had a news conference Saturday evening and stated power will be restored all over the city by Sunday evening...LOL! Power crews from several other states are here working from sun to sun to help us out and for that I'm extremely grateful.
Don't I know it. After Super storm Sandy we had no power for over a month. Thank goodness for our portable generators. They're not hardwired in. I have a few 12/3 50' extension cords I use. I have been thinking of hardwiring in a socket for my portable genset. Was it tough to do? Do you use a. Transfer switch or just drop the mains?
Best of luck to you and the family. I hope they keep their word and have you up and running soon.
Best of luck to you and the family. I hope they keep their word and have you up and running soon.
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Do you have National Greed? I saw a lot of National Greed utility trucks heading south. A few of them were flat towing employees' cars.
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
The National WHAT?
National Grid is called "National Greed". They are not around here in Illinois.
The National WHAT?
National Grid is called "National Greed". They are not around here in Illinois.
Whether its weather cycles or climate change, it seems we are in for more severe storms and varying weather patterns. Generators sure make life more bearable when he power goes out.
WOW for over a month ?? Sometimes its good to have a white shirt from the power company live 5 houses away from me...lol
When I get a house, one of the first things I am going to get is a generator.
I should be able to get by without electricity, but having the food spoil would be expensive.
A few weeks is not unheard of any more.
I have heard stories from my father about how when he was younger and they were still trying to convert the people outside of the big cities (well, big for this area) to electricity, the electric was NEVER out for more than an hour - nomatter how bad or large scale the storm was.
I should be able to get by without electricity, but having the food spoil would be expensive.
A few weeks is not unheard of any more.
I have heard stories from my father about how when he was younger and they were still trying to convert the people outside of the big cities (well, big for this area) to electricity, the electric was NEVER out for more than an hour - nomatter how bad or large scale the storm was.
Originally Posted By: gman2304
I had a generator hard wired into my house so I've been really fortunate to have backup power. We sure do take those light switches on the wall for granted.
Congratulations on being prepared. There have been a handful of times in the last 20 years that we've lost power, but it's nice to know that you've prepared for it and you don't have to worry. It makes a major problem nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
I had a generator hard wired into my house so I've been really fortunate to have backup power. We sure do take those light switches on the wall for granted.
Congratulations on being prepared. There have been a handful of times in the last 20 years that we've lost power, but it's nice to know that you've prepared for it and you don't have to worry. It makes a major problem nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
Originally Posted By: gman2304
...We sure do take those light switches on the wall for granted.
+1 Yes we do. Hope the power gets back on soon.
...We sure do take those light switches on the wall for granted.
+1 Yes we do. Hope the power gets back on soon.
Like the post above, it is important to be prepared today. Good job!!
It's not that we have more power outages than we had back in 1938 or 1951, but our lifestyle is different. Much of our food is frozen and or refrigerated, our homes are heated with something other than wood or coal and homes are much more complex. Plumbing must be kept from freezing, the furnace must be kept operational and so on.
Here in South Florida, post hurricane/tropical storm power outages are especially troublesome. As food goes rancid in hours. And the temperatures/humidity and standing water/insect situation reach intolerable levels daily.
It's not that we have more power outages than we had back in 1938 or 1951, but our lifestyle is different. Much of our food is frozen and or refrigerated, our homes are heated with something other than wood or coal and homes are much more complex. Plumbing must be kept from freezing, the furnace must be kept operational and so on.
Here in South Florida, post hurricane/tropical storm power outages are especially troublesome. As food goes rancid in hours. And the temperatures/humidity and standing water/insect situation reach intolerable levels daily.
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Thanks again guys for the well wishes...Now entering day 5 without power. I'm OK but some of my neighbors are ready to march on city hall! The city I live in is a member of a co-op which buys they're power from Duke power company...then sells it to us. For a profit I'm sure. The city has it's own electric dept with employees who are on the city payroll. I haven't seen one city bucket truck crew in 5 days!
Originally Posted By: gman2304
Thanks again guys for the well wishes...Now entering day 5 without power. I'm OK but some of my neighbors are ready to march on city hall! The city I live in is a member of a co-op which buys they're power from Duke power company...then sells it to us. For a profit I'm sure. The city has it's own electric dept with employees who are on the city payroll. I haven't seen one city bucket truck crew in 5 days!
Our power outage was a few weeks the first hurricane, and months the next storm (however, we did eventually get one leg of 240v back after 3 weeks, for occasional partial power) Still, I had to run my well pump, aircond, and water heater on the generator for months.
Then Wilma came and it started all over again. Months without FPL's cheap and steady power.
Thanks again guys for the well wishes...Now entering day 5 without power. I'm OK but some of my neighbors are ready to march on city hall! The city I live in is a member of a co-op which buys they're power from Duke power company...then sells it to us. For a profit I'm sure. The city has it's own electric dept with employees who are on the city payroll. I haven't seen one city bucket truck crew in 5 days!
Our power outage was a few weeks the first hurricane, and months the next storm (however, we did eventually get one leg of 240v back after 3 weeks, for occasional partial power) Still, I had to run my well pump, aircond, and water heater on the generator for months.
Then Wilma came and it started all over again. Months without FPL's cheap and steady power.
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Yesterday, at about 6 PM finally after 5 days I got my power restored. Even though I have a hard wired portable generator it was still a major inconvenience. Looking back I had it really easy, even having to babysit the generator, it still wasn't as bad as some of my neighbors who had nothing. The street in front of my house looks like a war zone with all the debris piled along the side of the street and all the damaged mature trees still yet to be cleaned up. That old expression about mother nature being cruel is so true!
I can empathize. We lose power occasionally, but rarely for more than a couple of days. We were out for two days at the beginning of January with temperatures of -15. Being able to run the gas furnace off the generator was virtually a life saver. Not only is it inconvenient, but spending $40-$50 a day for gasoline is expensive (those two days cost more than 2 months of my typical winter electrical bill).
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