Buffalo's snowstorm: global climate change in action. [View All]

[hedgehog]

We spent the week-end in the Buffalo area cleaning up around my folks' house and my husband's aunt's and uncle's house. (The uncle is a 91 year old Pearl Harbor vet.) It was the most bizarre landscape I've ever seen: the roads and lawns were buried in leafy branches. Ten miles away it was a beautiful fall day. It'll be at least a week before the bulk of the power gets restored. It's really cute in Amherst where my folks live. All the power lines run down between the backyards and the ground is absolutely saturated. They'll have to use crawlers to get into a lot of places. Regular trucks will sink up to axles!

People were buying batteries, chain saws and generators. At the grocery store, there was plenty of milk and bread, but they'd run out of beer. The cable TV was out even in areas with power, so people spent the week-end listening to the Sabres and Bills on the radio.

Some general advice:

You may not want to spring for an $800 generator, but go to the store and buy yourself an auxiliary sump pump. These cost about $130 and run off a car battery. You install it just above the primary sump pump on the same pipe. It'll keep your cellar dry in case of a power outage or even if the float on the regular pump hangs up.

Don't wait until a storm to learn how to use a chain saw. We saw several people who could have been filmed for a safety video on how not to operate a chain saw. If you think you'll ever use one, go buy one now, get the proper safety equipment (chaps, helmet with face shield, hearing protection) and get someone to train you on how to use it.

If you buy a generator, try it out before you need it. You aren't going to be able to go buy parts in the middle of a storm. Also be sure to cut yourself off the grid when running a generator so you don't end up electrocuting people working on downed lines.

Check out the sporting goods store for lanterns. We had a very nice battery powered lantern with LED bulbs.

DO NOT HEAT THE HOUSE WITH THE STOVE. That's a sure fire way to meet your buddy, Carbon Monoxide. Generators go outside; not in the basement. If you run a generator in an attached garage, make sure you have plenty of ventilation. Leave the garage door open.

Wool socks, sweaters and blankets will help keep you warm.

If you lose the power line to your house, check to see where the damage is. If the line snapped before the house connection, the power company will take care of it. If the line ripped off the house or on your side of the connection, you will have to get an electrician out to repair it. The power company will only repair the line as far as your house. If they get to your place and there's any problem with your end, they'll just cut their line and come back later to hook you up.