I am preparing for Hurricane Irene ...
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Ran the generator for 20 minutes (Score:1)
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I commend you for that. I also encourage you to invest in a proper standby unit. Have I told you about this product that I make? If it wasn't for the occasional hurricane hitting the east coast, I'd probably lose a quarter of my market. It'll be an interesting weekend. I'm sure someone will be pissed that they didn't get an alarm in a timely fashion, but I don't control the cell towers.
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It started on the second pull after not having been used in pie years.
I also encourage you to invest in a proper standby unit.
Agreed, pie isn't really a suitable unit for time measurement.
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I can eat a pie in 6 minutes. Perfectly fine form of time measurement for me.
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This is partly why I never invested in a generator. Here in NJ we don't get enough of these storms to really make it a worthwhile investment. Engines that do not get enough use tend to require more maintenance and generally don't want to start when you need them. It sounds like you either had a bit of luck on your side or have something with a pretty darn good engine. Best of luck riding this one out. My preparations? I moved my beer from my old 36 gallon cooler to a new 50 gallon, 5-day one and added fresh
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One of the problems with getting smacked hard by a hurricane can be weeks without electricity and keeping the windows open as they hit during the warmer months as a rule. Then you get to hear all of the peoples' generators racket adding to your misery not to mention the cost of keeping one running 24/7. Six years ago we had three weeks with no power due to being smacked by three storms in Florida. The worst part was that every local grocery store had closed down due to water intrusion from their
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In a nation where most people have less than one week's pay to keep a roof over their heads
One of the women at work was bemoaning the fact that she was living paycheck-to-paycheck and barely making it. I asked her what she would do with an extra $500 a year tax free. After going on and on how she would spend it (saving it never crossed her mind), I told her to cancel her cable/satellite. She looked horrified and said that she absolutely couldn't live without her television (mind you, we do have antenna reception in the area).
I'll start taking seriously the people who live paycheck-to-paych
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In a nation where most people have less than one week's pay to keep a roof over their heads
One of the women at work was bemoaning the fact that she was living paycheck-to-paycheck and barely making it. I asked her what she would do with an extra $500 a year tax free. After going on and on how she would spend it (saving it never crossed her mind), I told her to cancel her cable/satellite. She looked horrified and said that she absolutely couldn't live without her television (mind you, we do have antenna reception in the area).
I'll start taking seriously the people who live paycheck-to-paycheck when they bring their spending priorities in order. (And yes, I've been cable/satellite/antenna free for 10+ years).
Peasants will always do their best to remain peasants.
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Peasants will always do their best to remain peasants.
Not true, but there is a disturbing tendency.
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That is why most businesses that have backup generators tend to have practice runs no less often than once a month for several hours. If I owned one for my house, I would do the same.
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Would that be a dozen... or bakers dozen years?
About that Generator (Score:5, Insightful)
Make sure the GEN is grounded, don't want to electrocute yourself
Make sure the oil levels and quality are good (do a quick check every time you refuel, if the oil is black replace it)
Make sure the Gen won't get wet
Assure proper ventilation! Many people die from gassing themselves with the exhaust fumes.
Check spark plugs, use a volt-meter to calibrate output, have extensions ready,
If you have sensitive electronics you want to use with the Gen, plug them first into a voltage regulator and not directly into the gen
Have extra fuel.
Finally, prepare to shake your defiant fist at Zeus with your abundant electricity supply when mother nature comes knocking.
Or buy a Honda (Score:3)
So, I have only one thing to add to your comm
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Finally, prepare to shake your defiant fist at Zeus with your abundant electricity supply when mother nature comes knocking.
Eh, Zeus? Isn't he the guy with the lightnings, he's probably the last guy you should get in a pissing match over electricity with. At least check your lightning rod first or you could get a little more electricity than you bargained for.
Saftey Generator (Score:3)
Assure proper ventilation! Many people die from gassing themselves with the exhaust fumes.
That is exactly why I only use battery powered generators.
Takes a lot of AA to keep 'em moving, but I can sleep a full fifteen minutes between battery changes secure in knowing I'll wake up again.
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Running the motor only does not mean that other internals are not seized up, thus will not create electricity...
You need to start it, and put a LOAD on the generator, so it, well, generates. People oftentimes never do this; So while the engine starts right up fine, the sucker still will not make any power. They realize this when they actually lose power, at which point, they are far more 'letdown'.
Just a tip!
Heavily (Score:2)
I have a bottle of whiskey and around 3000 miles between myself and the storm.
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I have a bottle of whiskey and I'm driving through the storm tomorrow morning. Yeeee-Haa!
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Nice!
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I have 2 bottles of whiskey, a bottle of gin, a 14kw nat gas fueled generator and a girl.
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I was with you till the last word, then I knew your were lying.
duct tape. always. (Score:2)
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Mmm... (Score:1)
I bought a flashlight, a few liters of water, and some food. I'm good for a few days, a week if I have to be. The storm itself won't be too bad here, though. I feel cheated.
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Well a few liters of water should last you all of a day or so.
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I *bought* 12, and have more on hand.
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That's not a few. That's several. But even 12 litres won't last very long since you go through around 4 litres in an average day. If you're really good, you can push it a bit lower. My best advice is to always keep a self-pressured, or passive flow ceramic filter water purifier along with a gallon of bleach handy. A good ceramic water filter will do wonders. But in those cases you can't get one, a few drops of bleach into 1l of water will keep you going, at least once you pre-filter it.
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To pick a dictionary at random, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/few [merriam-webster.com]
"few" is not a very specific term. Neither is "several." =)
I am not expecting a sustained water outage at my location, and it is even less likely at nearby locations. Interesting point about the bleach, though. I may have a bottle of iodine sitting around somewhere, but am not worried about it at the moment.
Cheers,
OCL
Underground lair (Score:4, Funny)
Yeah, I'm deep in my underground lair. Definitely a lair. Totally not my parents basement. Not sure why anyone would think that. Its totally a lair. And underground. With girls.
And a hot tub. And girls in the hot tub. Yeah. Hot girls too. Definitely not a basement.
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That double into a bed, if it gets down to it.
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That was my thought, aren't storm surges the main source of fatalities during a hurricane?
It's not a basement! (Score:2)
My wife and I are in MA... (Score:3)
That's not to say that the coastal Carolinas aren't totally screwed, just that we're probably fine up here.
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Posting from KDH, NC right now. We've had power, internet and satellite all day. On my second bottle of champagne and loving this storm.
Not hitting here (Score:3)
I'm not in Irene's path, but if I were, I wouldn't be posting on Slashdot right now. I'd be driving west.
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I'm not in Irene's path, but if I were, I wouldn't be posting on Slashdot right now. I'd be driving west.
When a cyclones look like they're about to hit Darwin, heaps of people drive south. The cyclone inevitably follows them south and dumps so much rain down there the road floods and they can't get home again.
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I'm not in Irene's path, but if I were, I wouldn't be posting on Slashdot right now. I'd be driving west.
No, you would be stuck in traffic. The smart folks drove west yesterday, and are posting to slashdot right now.
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It's already started here, heavy rain, lot of wind, and Irene center about 140 miles away, passing within 10 miles from me in few hours as per the projected path. And no, I am not driving anywhere.
pittsburgh (Score:2)
But it's warm out... (Score:2)
I'm used to preparing for serious winter storms. (Fairfield Co, CT.) It's weird to be preparing for one when it's warm, and a hell of a lot easier.
Riding mower in garage...check.
10 spare gallons for the genny...check.
Well pump battery at 100%...check.
Huge flashlights charged and ready....check
Barbecue propane full & spare.....check.
Corona...check.
Weed......check.
Milk.....check.
I'm good. B))
"Deep in my underground lair." (Score:3)
You may want to rethink that choice. Do you know what a "storm surge" is?
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If you built it right, all of your ground vents have J pipes with backflow valves, preferably on the roof of the cover structure. Your entry way should also have redundant pumps fed from both mains and backup power. A secondary escape path to an upper floor is also not a bad idea.
Sheesh, I hope you don't charge much for lair architecture. ;)
Storm surge, bah! (Score:3)
I want to pretend there's a hurricane (Score:2)
It already hit me.... (Score:3)
My boat in the Turks and Caicos got nailed - 30 miles from the eye. According to the folks there, things are alright. Ill believe it when I see it. This is my third Hurricane - we have weathered Earl last year and one a couple years before that. Our secret to survival - lots of rope tying down lots of heavy tarps covered with sacrificial tarps - and everything cauled and tied down.
This year we also used kevlar straps to hold the boat in place. Other years we dug a pit and put the boat in.
In all cases, the solar panels somehow stayed attached and keeping the batteries floating.
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It wasnt expensive, actually. Old steel boats are really cheap these days, if you can stand all the rust. It isnt critical to livelihood, but it allows me to live part of the time in a sustainable fashion, away from winter. Living that way teaches lessons in conserving every Amp, litre, and hour of the solar power, fresh water, and time left.
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check your local classifieds, people give boats away, especially in coastal areas
I go through this almost every year (Score:1)
The nice thing about modern batteries and MREs is their long shelf lives, so i
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Um, how do you prepare the dog food? Do you try and disguise the taste, or just add water and savor the "meaty gravy?"
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Just one more question, is that your own dog food?
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How do I prepare the dog food? I dump some in stainless steel bowls, and then I don't eat it. My dogs do. That's why it's called dog food. To anticipate your followup questions, I also don't eat the batteries or the ammo, and I don't drink the gas.
... or eat the dogs. probably.
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Don't be silly. The dogs are used to catch marauders, the ammo to mow them down, and then they're served as dinner. The "apocalypse grade" ammo is Soylent Green branded, doesn't splatter as much inside your meal.
Mountains (Score:1)
There's a reason I enjoy living right beside the Canadian Rockies. No hurricanes, typhoons, tidal waves, or sharks.
Chinooks and random ass weather are karma though.
But what about the Grizzly bears! (Score:2)
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Depending upon which side, you definitely shouldn't be feeling too smug. I'm a bit south of you and we definitely get our share of mid-lattitude cyclones and every once in a while a tornado.
Next week... (Score:1)
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The UK met office is really good for tracking this stuff: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/ [metoffice.gov.uk]
Tape on windows (Score:1)
Wind and rain, but not worried (Score:1)
I'm all prepared. (Score:3)
I've built and stocked up a basement shelter in the yard. I already sleep in it every night and am wearing my survival suit all the time now because you never know just when Irene will hit.
I'm getting funny looks from my neighbors here in Phoenix. I think they must be jealous of my shelter.
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That basement shelter's not a bad idea here in Phoenix. It's cheaper to cool.
Catching the edges (Score:2)
We'll mostly just get wind and rain. I brought stuff in from the yard and we made sure we have water, lamp oil, flashlights, and extra batteries.
Other than that, not much else to do.
Was Already Touched (F**KED)By Katrina (Score:2)
Not even worried about good ole Irene. After the flogging we got from Katy, we don't need more hurricanes for at least 100 yrs. Hell, we are having a anniversary this weekend of 6 years and STILL it looks like she just passed by.
Sorry for NYC.....nah not really. They already got all the money from whats that thing.......oh, yeah 9/11.
How about... (Score:2)
"Deep in my underground lair, but not because of a hurricane."?
I didn't prepare 'cuz I already was (Score:2)
Already had plenty of batteries, flashlights, and bottled water and have a bunch of non-perishable food (I do camping stuff enough that I've always got that at the ready).
I'm good for a week without power without doing a thing. Longer if I don't mind having to purify water and possibly find some fire wood should the propane for the grill run out.
I'm not actually saying I'd enjoy having no power and having to rig up off-the-grid water purification, but I've spent enough time up farther North that bei
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Ya know, that was my first thought too. I'm right now going through the heaviest effects I expect to see from Irene (which is to say, occasional moderate winds), but my generator is fueled up and tested. Not because of "irene", or even "hurricane season", but because it always is, in preparation for whatever happens.
Hurricanes are interesting beasts, as they're a disaster you can know about days before they hit. So many other types give much less warning. Makes me happy to be living in a time where ther
Where is the CmdrTaco option? (Score:1)
Ohhhhhhh... *sigh*
-_-
That option was for nerds. It was a thing that mattered.
Listen Up.. (Score:5, Informative)
I have been witness, multiple times, of hurricanes taking out power for a week or more. When you come back you will open your refrigerator door ONCE. You will then duct tape it shut and place it on the street with everyone elses refrigerator. It is an expense and landfill nightmare you can save with 20 minutes of food removal.
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BEFORE YOU EVACUATE, CLEAN OUT YOUR REFRIGERATOR.
Additionally, unplug it and make make sure to stick the doors open!
That way you'll have a nice, defrosted, functional fridge and freezer when you come back, and not a furry mold incubator that was taken out by a surge then the mains came back on at 40V over specs. Take the chance to rub it out with some good household cleaner, and refill.
Also holds for student apartment fridges over longer breaks. Been there.
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can of SpaghettiO's (Score:1)
Typhoon Nanmadol (Score:2)
I'm on the other side of the world, so the big weather incident is Typhoon Nanmadol [wikimedia.org], which seems like it's a bit more powerful. While it's quite a ways away from where I am now, it is affecting the weather here substantially, and we're getting far more rain than normal.
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The big concern with Irene is water, not wind. Because it is so large and slow-moving it is expected to produce a larger than average storm surge (which will coincide with high tide) and drop a vast amount of rain, causing severe flooding. It's also heading for a heavily-populated area that has not seen a serious hurricane in quite a while.
That ought to put things into perspective... (Score:1)
Of course 69% (at the time) say it won't touch them. I also guess that quite a lot of the other 31% are jokers. Face it, people, slashdot is an international phenomenon, not restricted to the US east cost.
What's next, "I'm preparing for total traffic breakdown in Beijing..." poll?
I voted for underground lair... (Score:2)
..but I'm in there most of the time anyway, so does it count?
Not Here in California (Score:1)
But we are having 100+ temperatures. Also, while the east coast had several days warning about Irene, we will get perhaps 5 seconds warning before a single major earthquake kills far more people than a decade of hurricanes.
In the meantime, a number of members of Congress from a certain unnamed political party think the federal government should not provide any kind of disaster relief.
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Also interesting, I watched the local news station meterologist (Sam Champion of Eyewitness News NYC) responding to someones questions about if we would have time to evacuate saying that there are 7 million people on geographical L.I. and how it would be completely impossible to evacuate most of us with one interestate highway and a handful of bridges and tunnels through the NYC boroughs to the mainland. You could read into his words.. If this were a more serious threat we'd be sitting ducks.
It's traffic on long island! "Sitting ducks" isn't really something that needs to be in a conditional clause. :)
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I just lugged home a 24 pack of Nestle water bottles 3/4 a mile by hand from CVS
Can't you drink the tap water in the US? A couple of empty 25 litre containers would have been much easier to carry if you could.
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Can't you drink the tap water in the US?
I don't know about Long Island, but areas that get their water from the lower Mississippi River have n.a.s.t.y. tap water. Very chlorinated.
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Can't you drink the tap water in the US? A couple of empty 25 litre containers would have been much easier to carry if you could.
Not all of the U.S. (too big for a blanket statement) but here on Long Island (I'm in Brooklyn, New York City) the tap water is fine. Maybe not the sweetest water in the world, but there's nothing wrong with drinking it. I don't see why bottled water is so popular around here, seems like a waste of money to me.
All summer I've been buying seltzer for the taste and fizz, then just refilling those with NYC tap water for normal drinking water. I've got enough in the apartment for myself if we lose power or w
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I don't know about now, but when I visited my grandparents in Yonkers as a child (many decades ago), the tap water was wonderful.
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In a storm like this sewage treatment can fail and then tap water is unsafe.
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Sam Champion? Is that the same station with the very cute news reporter Nina Pineda? Sounds familiar from the time I spent in Brooklyn a decade ago, when she was the best reason to watch the news.
timothy
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my parents (with whom I live)
I've convinced my parents to stay with me in the basement
At least one person had to have chuckled here.
I bet a lot more were vindicated! :)
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For anyone else who wanted to know what TP refers to - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TP [wikipedia.org]