I don't get it...

[BrotherBart]

Try not having a furnace, having a power out for a seven or eight days, 1,000 foot hill for a driveway (that the county plows a mountain in front of), and three or four feet of snow sometime. Stove comes under the heading of down right necessary item about that time.

Of course without a furnace it is a necessity on a dry 40 degree day too.

 

[Ashful]

Point taken, guys. But you're describing the fringe, not the conditions under which the vast majority of Americans live. I thought that was the issue being discussed... the countless masses in grid-dependent houses.

 

[begreen]

All it takes is a Hurricane Sandy to put you out on the fringe. A lot of folks on the east coast found this out the hard way. Stronger storms are becoming the norm. It doesn't hurt to be prepared.

 

[Knots]

All it takes is a Hurricane Sandy to put you out on the fringe. A lot of folks on the east coast found this out the hard way. Stronger storms are becoming the norm. It doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Sandy wasn't even a hurricane by the time it hit the NY area - it was a tropical storm. The hurricane of '38 is worth reading about. It was more powerful than Katrina. It set off seismographs in Alaska. Smeared Montpelier with salt spray. Left tropical birds in northern New England. Rearranged the coastlines of CT, Long Island, and RI enough to require map changes. 14 feet of water in Providence. 1/3 of the trees in NH and VT went down.

If one like that hits in the same place with today's population and infrastructure, watch out.

Bushnell park in Hartford in '38:

 

[woodgeek]

My grandma was an office worker in downtown Providence in '38. Said she went to work in the AM to blue skies, and when it was time to go home, her building was standing in deep water. Everyone slept in the office and went home after the water receded.

I guess they didn't check the European computer model back then.

Pet peeve: Sandy didn't hit NYC. The eye made land in Atlantic City, NJ over 100 miles away, and went right over center-city Philly and my house. The 'eye lull' thing in the middle was cool to experience (we showed the kids), but once was enough. NYC got flooded by a rare combo of storm surge and spring tide.

Classic Philly second-class citizen issue. Philly takes a direct strike by a hurricane/TS, and the national news is all about some flooding and blackouts in NYC.

 

[Knots]

Pet peeve: Sandy didn't hit NYC. The eye made land in Atlantic City, NJ over 100 miles away, and went right over center-city Philly and my house.

Understood. I just picked a place about halfway through the devastation. Here's my place 40 miles east of NYC in CT. This is a couple of towns inland too. Some large trees came down and, judging from my neighbors yard (the pic with the kiddie slide) and the reservoir forest up the street, white pines don't like heavy winds.



As far as the '38 weather model goes - they lost the storm halfway up the coast. The senior weatherman said it's out to sea. The new guy said "I dunno 'bout that"...

Everybody listened to the senior guy...

 

[Doug MacIVER]

Sandy wasn't even a hurricane by the time it hit the NY area - it was a tropical storm. The hurricane of '38 is worth reading about. It was more powerful than Katrina. It set off seismographs in Alaska. Smeared Montpelier with salt spray. Left tropical birds in northern New England. Rearranged the coastlines of CT, Long Island, and RI enough to require map changes. 14 feet of water in Providence. 1/3 of the trees in NH and VT went down.

If one like that hits in the same place with today's population and infrastructure, watch out.

Bushnell park in Hartford in '38:
View attachment 146633

actually no even a TS. NWS downgraded to extratropical 30 minutes before landfall, hence Super-storm Sandy.( might have influenced insurance claims).as to bg's claim of stronger storms http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/accumulated_cyclone_energy.asp?basin=gl, add to that NOAA says 2014 one of the lowest years for tornados in the last 30 years. don't know where the stronger storms claim comes from. if '38 was 60 miles west they still wouldn't have power in NYC(sarc)

 

[woodgeek]

I grew up in the Boston area. Everything is just WAY more important up there. If Sandy had made a direct hit on Boston, rather than Philly, it would have been the 'storm of the century' and they would have put up a monument. If the wind speeds were less than hurricane force, they would pass a law changing the threshold for a 'Massachusetts Hurricane'.

You can naysay, but the destruction visited on my area by Sandy was like nothing I saw in MA during the 70s and 80s. Not even close.

 

[Knots]

if '38 was 60 miles west they still wouldn't have power in NYC(sarc)

 

[Ashful]

All it takes is a Hurricane Sandy to put you out on the fringe. A lot of folks on the east coast found this out the hard way. Stronger storms are becoming the norm. It doesn't hurt to be prepared.

I was right in the crosshairs of Sandy, the eye went right over my house. We were without power, and I had the one stove going the whole time, but it wasn't cold enough to call it necessary. Hurricanes run on heat, can't build power in cold.

 

[Ashful]

I grew up in the Boston area. Everything is just WAY more important up there. If Sandy had made a direct hit on Boston, rather than Philly, it would have been the 'storm of the century' and they would have put up a monument. If the wind speeds were less than hurricane force, they would pass a law changing the threshold for a 'Massachusetts Hurricane'.

You can naysay, but the destruction visited on my area by Sandy was like nothing I saw in MA during the 70s and 80s. Not even close.

Sandy was the second costliest and most damaging storm in US history, only outdone by Katrina.

 

[woodgeek]

Confession: my older bro in foxboro tried to explain to me that the damage in his area was WAY worse than whatever I might have, because Sandy 'hit his house' and he had one of his trees topped off.

When I pointed out that I had no power for 5 days, while he didn't lose power, he suggested that perhaps my wiring down in PA was just inferior. Brothers. LOL.

 

[Doug MacIVER]

I grew up in the Boston area. Everything is just WAY more important up there. If Sandy had made a direct hit on Boston, rather than Philly, it would have been the 'storm of the century' and they would have put up a monument. If the wind speeds were less than hurricane force, they would pass a law changing the threshold for a 'Massachusetts Hurricane'.

You can naysay, but the destruction visited on my area by Sandy was like nothing I saw in MA during the 70s and 80s. Not even close.

Kittansett Golf Club in Marion,Ma has a sign on an inland hole(albeit only several hundred yards inland) with the height of storm surge. The storms listed are the '38, The Great Aatlatic Hurricane '44,and Carol '54. nothing has come close since.it will be surpassed someday. the "perfect storm '90" was as close as Boston could come to a Super Sandy, takes a retrograde storm. add the geography with Cape, unlike S-Sandy which also drove LI sound water with east and no east winds. NYC not in the best position when the perfect rare circumstance shows up. add to it the WTC is below Hudson River levels.

 

[woodgeek]

Sure. And I suspect the experience with Sandy in coastal New Jersey compares to those historical storms in NE. Whole communities wiped out with many feet of wind-blown salt water. Boats torn from anchorages coming through your living room window, you name it.

I'll tell them it was down-rated to an extra-tropical shortly before landfall. No worries.

 

[Doug MacIVER]

Sure. And I suspect the experience with Sandy in coastal New Jersey compares to those historical storms in NE. Whole communities wiped out with many feet of wind-blown salt water. Boats torn from anchorages coming through your living room window, you name it.

I'll tell them it was down-rated to an extra-tropical shortly before landfall. No worries.

Nws and the Mayor blew that one.NWS actually reported two different positions 35 minutes apart. one for Hsandy ,The the mets on twitter were amazed where the storm was and where it went.a collective "how'd it do that"

 

[begreen]

Point being is that storms are getting stronger with warmer sea temps and more dramatic weather extremes. If you are in a coastal area be prepared. You could be without power for weeks. Out here we have to take the potential of earthquakes with the same serious respect. If you live in a rural area it could be a week or two before anyone even comes to check on you. If you have a brick and mortar chimney it may not be standing after a big shake. Then where is the heat?

 

[Doug MacIVER]

Point being is that storms are getting stronger with warmer sea temps and more dramatic weather extremes. If you are in a coastal area be prepared. You could be without power for weeks. Out here we have to take the potential of earthquakes with the same serious respect. If you live in a rural area it could be a week or two before anyone even comes to check on you. If you have a brick and mortar chimney it may not be standing after a big shake. Then where is the heat?

1954 with HCarol se mass was hit hard. I vividly remember days without power. as a little kid it was great, cookout everynight. dad's grill was a 10 x 15 vshape. in 1955 with Hdiane dad lost all he had as the business was flooded under 8ft .owner of an undamged customer, Potvin Shoe, gave dad the keys to his factory and told him his people went home at 4pm. dick potvin did charge him rent for the month or so he was there, the total bill $1.00 with power.

the old folks around here know what these storms do and most of the youngsters have heard the stories. the new people to the area maybe not so much. same with your area most everyone knows the quake threat, even without experiencing one. I'd be more afraid of Rainier. talk about a power out.

 

[jharkin]

I grew up in the Boston area. Everything is just WAY more important up there.

Your just jealous of how totally awesome we are

 

[Cynnergy]

We live in an all-electric house in town. The hydroelectric dam that powers the town is only about 2km from my house. In 2011 we had a huge windstorm that knocked out the power to most of the town for 3 days. No one was prepared for that - the freakin' dam is 2km away! Thousands of trees came down. But they just told us what will happen when 'the big one' hits and it's much much worse: http://www.courierislander.com/news/local/you-could-kiss-downtown-campbell-river-goodbye-1.1652883. Good thing I live up the hill

 

[Bret Chase]

I grew up in the Boston area. Everything is just WAY more important up there. If Sandy had made a direct hit on Boston, rather than Philly, it would have been the 'storm of the century' and they would have put up a monument. If the wind speeds were less than hurricane force, they would pass a law changing the threshold for a 'Massachusetts Hurricane'.

You can naysay, but the destruction visited on my area by Sandy was like nothing I saw in MA during the 70s and 80s. Not even close.

"we" had one...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991_Perfect_Storm

No monument in boston... just a few names added to one in Gloucester...

 

[Bret Chase]

1954 with HCarol se mass was hit hard. I vividly remember days without power. as a little kid it was great, cookout everynight. dad's grill was a 10 x 15 vshape. in 1955 with Hdiane dad lost all he had as the business was flooded under 8ft .owner of an undamged customer, Potvin Shoe, gave dad the keys to his factory and told him his people went home at 4pm. dick potvin did charge him rent for the month or so he was there, the total bill $1.00 with power.

the old folks around here know what these storms do and most of the youngsters have heard the stories. the new people to the area maybe not so much. same with your area most everyone knows the quake threat, even without experiencing one. I'd be more afraid of Rainier. talk about a power out.

The problem with Carol was that Edna hit New England 10 days later. Imagine that... 2 hurricanes making landfall in Maine as Cat 1 storms... within 10 days.

The amount of damage (I've seen the pics) to the very small town I grew up in was astounding....

 

[DAKSY]

If they have a gas stove, they can use that as heat in a pinch...

WHAT!??!?! You are recommending that someone use a
HOUSEHOLD VENTED GAS-BURNING Stove for HEAT?!?!
That is flat-out dangerous & insanely STUPID.
During EVERY power outage in the cold season here in
upstate NY folks DIE because they try that.
Bad, bad information.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I have had a Honda generator for about 7 years and it's been extremely reliable (and not gently used)

 

[razerface]

Yea,, well,,,,one day last year the wind blew really hard here. I had to pick up 4 big sticks from the driveway! Yes, you read it right,,, 4! ,,,,,Big ones!

 

[gzecc]

I have not yet lived thru an event where I could argue that the woodstove was a necessity. We were without power for most of a week during last year's ice storm, but it was easy enough keeping the oil-fired boiler in the basement going on a small portable generator. The gas station near us was without power for a short period, but got it back quickly, and there were probably close to 50 other gas stations within a 30 minute drive that never lost power.

I like my woodstove, and the fact that it reduces my dependency on oil, but it will take world events larger than any of us have yet experienced to make it an emergency necessity.

I never thought I would either, until Sandy. 60 miles from the cost we lost 30 trees and were without power for almost 2 weeks. Gas stations didn't have gas for 7 days. We were lucky it wasn't too cold. Having the wood stove make it nice. It was nice to warm water and ourselves.