Buffalo's snowstorm: global climate change in action.

[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.

[havocmom]

1. Another important tip for staying warm: STAY HYDRATED!

Drink plenty of fluids that will keep your personal moisture level up. Remember that caffeine is not always the best choice.

[hedgehog]

9. And all joking aside - go easy on the booze.

Alcohol does not keep the body warm.

[WCGreen]

2. I think it was just lake effect...

On May 1st, a couple a decades ago, Cleveland got hammered with a foot of snow...

[truth2power]

3. Not that I'm likely to try

to figure how to hook up a generator on my own (don't know the first thing) but could you explain how to "cut yourself off the grid"? I had never thought of this before. I guess someone's working on a line they think is dead and you're generating electricity to it. Yikes!

Thanks for all this good info. I have one of those LED lanterns. Also lots of vintage oil lamps.

I used to use a chain saw by putting the TIP into the wood. Trying to stay away from the business end, ya' know. Someone told me I was just asking for it to kick back and hit me in the head. Taught me how to use it more safely. I'm doing better, now . :dunce:

[trof]

6. Here's what I think I know about gens:

Most people do not hook them up to the house wiring.
They just use them to run extension cords to fridges, freezers, etc. Maybe a few lights and a tv .
In fact, you don't have to run your freezer 24 hours a day. Just replenishing the cold for a few hours a day will keep food frozen. Same with fridges unless you open it a lot, which you shouldn't.

Never never never run the gen inside. If you have a protected outdoor area like a screened porch or covered patio that will probably work.

If you want a hook up that will power your whole house
1. It'll be pretty expensive.
2. You should hire a pro to install the system.

Having said all that...
To disconnect from the grid you can usually just throw/pull the main breaker. Usually located on the outside of the house near the meter.

[hedgehog]

8. For about $2000, you can buy a generator that'll run on

natural gas and run the entire house. For about $800, you can buy a gasoline powered model that'll keep the furnace and refrigerator going, let you turn on a few lights and even run the dishwasher. We couldn't run the toaster oven or electric dryer and we didn't even try to turn on a computer because of the poweer spikes. Television was a moot point since the cable was out.

[trof]

4. Great tip on generators. Here's why:

We're in Katrina-Ivan country.
Friend of mine replaced his old generator prior to Katrina.
Brand new, whiz-bang, solid-state, etc.

When the power went out he cranked that sucker up.
It ran like a well oiled sewing machine.
So quiet.
And it put out not one iota of current.
Zilch, zed, nada.

He put out an emergency call to our neighborhood guy Bill, who can fix anything.
(If you have a guy like this in your neighborhood, DO NOT LET HIM MOVE! EVER!)
Bill came over and looked at the brand new generator.
Opened an access panel and shook his head.
"Sorry, John. I can't help you. Just no way to work on these solid state circuitry things. They either work or they don't. Probably have to replace the whole circuit board (or something like that)."

Try them out FIRST.
Before you need them.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

5. Great advice for everyone.

Two weeks ago tonight, we lost the power in our area due to a "microburst". The power went out at approximately 9:45 pm Monday night and was not restored until 5:45 pm Thursday afternoon.

While it wasn't cold, in fact the next day the temperature was in the low 80's, I still lost everything in my freezer and refrigerator.

In fact during the height of the storm, one of my husband's friends arrived and asked Mr. Wonderful to bring his van over so he could hook up his sump pump to the generator that Mr. Wonderful keeps in his work van. Our friend has a finished basement with hardwood floors and he was afraid of getting water.

While I still have issues with Commonwealth Edison, our local power company, with the reason why it took so long for our power to be restored; the building directly east of ours had their power restored by Tuesday afternoon, these suggestions are good for everyone.

I just hope that the people in the Buffalo area aren't getting ripped off by tree removal companies. In the aftermath of our storm, I heard stories of people being gouged by these companies in our area. One retired couple had a tree go down in their backyard and when they priced getting it removed, they were quoted a price of $3,000.

[hedgehog]

7. Depending on the situation, it's going to cost you to take care of a

tree. $3000 sounds high, but it took several hundred dollars for my folks to have an old willow taken down on a planned basis. Figure the cost of the equipment, insurance and a day's wages for several guys and you can see how costs can add up.

It took my husband with a chain saw, myself, my dad and four kids 15 to 24 all day to clear my dad's place. ( we also did a little work on the neighbors' places.) The next day, we had me, my husband and four kids clearing his uncle's place for about five hours. If you ever have elderly friends or relatives in this situation, a few hours' labor on your part can save them a lot of money. It's a great feeling.