Retirement - One Day at a Time: SuperStorm Sandy

It’s hard to believe that anyone was not aware that a major storm was approaching this past week. Predictions and computer models were talked about morning to night. The weather people did a fine job of alerting everyone we were in for a doozie. Because of this we made several runs to the store Monday in preparation “just in case”. The loss of power seemed a real possibility and our electric company had left a phone message saying we could be without electricity for several days. While we have a generator that gives us some lights, TV and Internet, pumps the water and also powers the freezer, it is not hooked up to the heater. To prepare for this event, I vacuumed, did several loads of laundry, and generally tidied things up while B blew leaves (again) and did some other prep stuff. We also watched TV to monitor the impending storm, choosing to watch WPVI in Philly as they had the best coverage and we still have many friends in the Philly/South Jersey area.

Dinner was stuffed round roast pounded thin with gravy. We were eating dinner when the lights flickered and then went out. The generator kicked in and all was fine. Had water – hot and cold, TV, Internet and lights. We finished dinner and I washed up rather than put anything in the dishwasher because YOU NEVER KNOW! We went to sleep with the sound of the generator…and it was getting cold.

Tuesday found us with gloomy skies, rain and the aftermath of the high winds we had overnight. The generator was still on – TV and Internet were out – bummer! We used the cell phone to check and found on Facebook that downed wires on a road close to us. OK, maybe that was the cause of no power. We agreed that if the electricity was not on y 8:30 AM we would turn off the generator in case this was going to last several days. I filled several pots and jugs for both flushing and drinking. I also moved perishables from the refrigerator to a cooler with some of the ice we had. We then turned the generator off. And we moved down to the family room where we have a propane fireplace. It got colder with the outside temperature dropping to 45 and the house temperature was dropping too. B made a trip into town and noted that while the Post Office and diner was open, most businesses were closed. Trees down but no major damage that we could see to homes. The loss of electricity looked wide spread. On our walks with Honey we could hear other generators working. One we knew was for an a house used only on weekends. While the generator goes on automatically they only go off when you turn them off or they run out of propane. We did see two PPL trucks at the bottom of our road checking the power lines. B had called to report the power was out so it was good to see they knew about us. We turned the generator back on around 4 and charged the phones and turned on the lights. Still no TV or Internet. I cooked dinner on a single burner electric hot plate. As we finished diner, there was a click and the lights went on! We also had cable TV and Internet. So we put the house back in order, empting pots of water and plugging in things to get charged. We were looking at TV when the lights again went off and the generator went back on. After 5 minutes it was still running so B went down and turned it off and we went to sleep.

Wednesday was again gloomy and dark. We again turned the generator back on and made breakfast. This is getting bad! It was really cold in the house. Outside it was 39 and inside it was 54. B had an appointment and the place was open so off he went while I again filled pots and such off, made sure everything we needed was charged, and again turned the generator off. I went down to the fireplace and worked on my laptop. Honey laid by the fire for a bit and then moved as it was really warm there. Around 11:30 AM the power came back on. It did flicker once but stayed on. The heat came back on and all was good!

We are aware that our experience is nothing compared to what folk in Southern Jersey and New York are dealing with. Some pictures below that I took over the three days.