Irene....how did u guys hold up??

[PeteF 1,044]

My town is a mess, but luckily I had no water, no damage and no power outages.

 

So I get to work in Woodland Park Monday and am told go home we are turning off the power,

call in for when the plant will be open again.

[mike 14]

lost power 11:00 sat night came back on sun night 10:00.hooked up to next door neigh genny,had about 2 inches water in basement. no outside damage we are pretty lucky.hope every body is well.any body need a hand im in old bridge.

[maideneddie 35]

Lost power Sunday at 15:00 and got it back at 19:00, but out for good at 21:00 and have not had power since. Thank god for the generator. Have my house and the neigjbors fridge hooked up and as long as I don't run out of gas we should be good to go. The biggest pain in the a** part of the storm for me was the 6 tractor cart loads of sticks that I had to pick up in the yard today....almost as bad as my spring clean-up. But it definetley could have been worse.

[ronhonda 86]

Well,

We went to my parents house on Saturday evening, all was good there.

But, I live in Lodi. We had about 5 feet of water in the backyard/garage/basement when the river was at its peak. When the river receded, all the water went out but damage has been done. Never lost power, so that was a plus. in the process of cleaning up so should be ok.

However I work in Fairfield, and my reloading setup is in my office. Needless to say some of our (Billy) components might be wet. Will possibly find out tomorrow. Possibly.

Anyway I might have some deals on heads and brass

It could have been worse, so whatever it is what it is. We will figure it out.

At least the central air still works. If not it would have seriously been a disaster.

And yes we have real good flood insurance.

[Sigman 41]

 

I think that's the rockaway river. Can you imagine driving up the highway during the night and the side falls off? There was also a road collapse up on Kinnelon road.

[Wolfy 51]

Channel 12 said the real concern is Tue AM. This is when the flood is expected to crest, at record levels. They don't know what to expect.

[DevsAdvocate 112]

Power restored to my neighborhood in Morristown last night.

[Fishpaw 17]

Still no power here in south Brunswick. Actually in my small pocket of it. Just up the road in either direction they have power and also at the shopping center across route 1. Seems like they forgot to restore my neighborhood.

[Jon 264]

Still no power here in south Brunswick. Actually in my small pocket of it. Just up the road in either direction they have power and also at the shopping center across route 1. Seems like they forgot to restore my neighborhood.

 

LMK if you guys need any ice or anything... I'm a short drive away, bud.

[Fishpaw 17]

Thanks j0n. Unfortunately all the stuff on the freezer and fridge that we didn't have a chance to cook already has gone bad. Threw out 2 garbage bags worth of stuff already figured try to make it last should the power come back. Everything left is non perishable At least the weather is good. If this was 2 weeks ago in that heat I would be miserable

[Jon 264]

I wish I had thought about it sooner, man. Offer stands if you need anything though.

[Fishpaw 17]

I did download a police/met/fire radio app on my phone. South Brunswick is down. But I can listen to Princeton / west Windsor/ cranbury. Probably heard you at work. Thanks again for the offer

[Rifleman1 32]

Still no power, phones, etc. Still trying to locate a 7500+ watt generator. Ran a 220 foot extension to my neighbor's generator to alternate running the pumps and the refrigerator. Cable is still out so no triple play.

[Babyface Finster 45]

Very fortunate here. A miniscule amount of water in the basement and one small tree came down. No other damage. No power disruptions.

 

I wish everyone else got off as easy as me. Good luck to those of you who got hit hard.

[ClangClang 14]

Yeah we just had a bit of water in the basement... a couple cardboard boxes with some old clothing inside got wet, but I noticed it very early. My dad and I cemented a water diverter track in place last year that wraps around the perimeter of the basement and diverts any water that comes through the walls right into the sump pit. We were lazy and never flood-tested it and sure enough, we missed a spot when we caulked the track down and the water leaked out onto our floor from that spot. I dried it out with a heat gun, slopped down some roofing tar (90 yr old unfinished cellar section, don't worry) and it was perfect for the rest of the storm.

 

We did lose power from Sunday afternoon to Monday morning, but we have 2 generators and powered ourselves and both neighbors.

 

I'm a volunteer EMT and was on duty for the entire hurricane - one car went into a pole, but all minor calls otherwise - we did about 15 jobs on Sunday afternoon alone for people who had lost power and were running out of backup oxygen at home.

 

If anyone is still out of power here in Bergen County, let me know. I can provide food, water, and possibly some refrigeration capacity.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Ran a 220 foot extension to my neighbor's generator to alternate running the pumps and the refrigerator.

 

I hope it's not a small 14 gage extension cord/cords.. Be careful don't want to hear about any new problems.

 

Harry

[Fishpaw 17]

FINALLY! just got power back around 5pm tonight....

[maideneddie 35]

Still no power here, and JCP&L is saying hopefully by the weekend or early part of next week. After this is all said and done I'm going to owe my generator a 12 pack...or at least an oil change!!!

[EchoMirage 137]

i would rather have had no power, no water, and windows broken from flying debris then deal with the flooding. at least those things you can prepare for and fix when it happens. there isnt much you can do when the street meets the river

[raz-0 1,265]

Not a guy who likes heights (yea I know doesn't make sense being a hang glider pilot) but if you need some help let me know, I'm just over in Towne Lake.

 

Harry

 

I'm not much use on a roof, so I have a guy coming by thursday, but thanks for the offer.

[Malsua 1,422]

Still no power here, and JCP&L is saying hopefully by the weekend or early part of next week. After this is all said and done I'm going to owe my generator a 12 pack...or at least an oil change!!!

 

Just for what it's worth, you should change the oil in your generator after 24 hours of use. If it has an external, changeable filter you can typically double the time. If you run synthetic, you can double it again.

 

Those little motors break the oil down very quickly.

[Pizza Bob 1,489]

Fortunately, no damage or flooding at my house. However, power went out on Sunday at 4:30 AM and wasn't restored until Tuesday at 10:15 PM. We have a well, so no power means no water. My neighbor offered to Siamese our water systems (he had a generator that he ran off & on over the last three days). We ran a hose from his house to an exterior hose bib on my house thus backfeeding the system. It allowed us to flush toilets and take showers (cold - ugh). Lost contents of refrigerator & freezer, but otherwise OK.

 

I think once they become available again (after the current crisis) we'll get a generator - really don't want to go through this again. It was heavenly taking a hot shower this AM.

 

Adios,

 

Pizza Bob

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Nice to see neighbors taking care of each other, Other than a few that I had to remind them of the loose items around there house that needed to be secured we all helped each other.

 

A few things I saw mentioned here and I did was to freeze a bunch of bottles of water just in case I lost electricity, I could do the old ice box trick with them, had enough to keep 1 frig cold for about 2 days only. The other thing we did was fill the tub up with water so I could fill the tanks of the crappers so they would continue to work. I picked up a few other things from the folks here that will be in my plan for the next time also.

 

Harry

[Malsua 1,422]

The other thing we did was fill the tub up with water so I could fill the tanks of the crappers so they would continue to work

 

You do realize you just need to use a bucket and pour straight into the bowl? You don't have to fill the tank.

[hd2000fxdl 422]

You do realize you just need to use a bucket and pour straight into the bowl? You don't have to fill the tank.

 

Yes, but filling it up that way, your good for a second flush..

 

Harry

[JonF 79]

My account

 

Friday

I live by the bay in NJ near sandy hook (10 blocks from the water) and we had a mandatory evac starting Friday, deadline Saturday. I had actually gone to work that day, started thinking about some prep i should look into for the storm when i was informed we actually had to bug out. I cut cut out of work around noon headed home so I could batten down the hatches in the house, elevated stuff in the garage, jacked up the car on stands just in case and packed up my stuff and jumped in my truck and headed to the GF's place a few towns inland to wait it out. Friday night was calm but stressful as we anticipated the upcoming storm and the calamity it may bring. I felt like i ran a marathon that day running all over the property to get stuff done before they came around to tell folks to get lost.

 

Saturday

We woke up Saturday to a seemingly overcast sky as the storm was just barely breaching the area. We actually went out to run a few errands and had some lunch before the winds and rain started picking up in intensity. Afterwards, we drove over to the ocean to check out the surf and it was starting to pick up. It was a surfers heaven as vehicles with surf boards were all over the place coming and going. By now though the rain was coming down so hard, it was hard to even see and the ran was starting to knock my truck around so it was time to head back to her place to pack it in for the night. We sat around, killing time playing board games when the power finally gave out around 11:00 pm. Ok, the place is dark, not much more we can do, might as well hit the sack. I tell ya, It was a rough night listening to all the wind and rain, thoughts of my house either getting blown over or washed away dancing in my head all night long as i laid in bed begging to fall unconscious and just sleep the storm away. At some point in the night i eventually passed out but was soon awakened come morning by the GF wanting to get up.

 

Sunday

The next day was surprisingly pleasant as the storm had lost a lot of its intensity after skirting the continent for so long. The eye was not the usual island of sun in the storm, but since the tail end was petering out, the rain turned to an occasional drizzle and the winds were gradually slowing and blow drying the rain soaked asphalt. After lunch, the overcast sky started giving way to breaks in the cloud cover with the sun trying to peek in the cracks of moisture. Around noon the power came back on and we rejoiced at no having to bug out a second time. At this point it was clear the storm was kaput and it was time to start thinking about returning to the house to survey the situation.

 

I told the GF we should head out asap while there is light and there is a lull in the wind/rain. We jumped in my truck and headed out on what seemed to be a never ending sequence of detours around the county as we tried to get from A to B. Normally its a 30 minute ride from door to door but with various downed trees, flooded roads, downed electrical wires, traffic lights with no power and other obstacles, the commute was about doubled. Towards the end of this zig-zagging, hell ride, we gradually came into my town and began getting within a few miles of my place. All the while i expected to find my town under water and be turned away pretty much as the border. Much to my delight, i was able to cross into my town and see not only a clear path down the main entry road, but power to some traffic lights in the distance. Surely a good sign, but not the light at the end of the tunnel quite yet. I continued the anxious journey through town, all the while the thought of finding some newly relocated shoreline that much further inland than the day before but i keep finding nothing but dry pavement everywhere i pointed my vehicle. Left turn, right turn, dry as a bone and no sign of any floods, my heart is beating faster and my excitement is shooting through the roof. I finally make that last turn onto my own road and the coast is still clear. I start to approach my house and there it is, exactly as I left it!

 

Relief cannot eve begin to describe my feelings. I considered the worst, but found nothing of the sort. I had notions of loosing everything and starting from scratch, but i was fortunate to pick up right where i left off. I was truly fortunate as i would find later that the rest of the town didn't fare so well.

 

We jumped out of my truck and headed into the house for a once over. Power was out as expected but with the skies opening up, there was sunlight flooding the house and plenty of light to check things out. Downstairs? Check. Upstairs? Check. Garage? Check. Everything is right where i left it. Of course, there were plenty of branches down in the yard but they were considerate enough to not fall on anything important and spare me the misfortune of coping with damage. Lastly, i checked out the exteriors and everything was still attached; the house still retained all its facade. But all was not totally without issue. There was my crawlspace, filled to the brim with water a few inches deep. There is a pair of sump pumps in there but without power, the underside of the house filled with 6 inches of standing water just trapped like a shallow bowl. What could i do? I have no generator, no way to drain it physically, i had to leave it be and pray the sumps would evacuate it whenever the power kicked in. Oh well, time to lock up and head back to the GF's place and wait it out some more.

 

Before heading back to her house, i decided to check out some other parts of the town. I cut out of my street which is situated towards the center of town and headed towards the bay where the boardwalk is. I got maybe 3 blocks away from my house when i came across this. Knee high flooding maybe a couple blocks into the submersion and possibly getting deeper from there.

 

 

We say some folks wading through it a block or two into it and it was knee high already at that point. Sadly, the police station and one of the fire stations was out there underwater which may have complicated their ability to keep mobilized. I tried to ford this mess but the water quickly came to my rockers so i turned it around and back-tracked out of the soggy mess. i went around the area to try to size up the situation and it appeared to be maybe 8-10 blocks long, by maybe twice as much wide submerged like this, but i couldn't get all the way around to see the extents. There was just too much.

 

We then made our way to the beach near a high spot not underwater and got out to check the shore line. The water swells had diminished but waves were still crashing a lot closer to the dunes than before. The township had smartly piled up an extra protective barrier wall of sand that held the angry bay at bay keeping the water on one side, and the town on the other. Apparently they worked tirelessly through the night to replenish the makeshift wall as the storm charged waves continued to slowly erode this wall all night long. Kudos to these brave individuals for helping to keep the flooding at a minimum. The situation could have been far worse without thier diligent efforts.

 

Monday

Business as usual. Get up, head to work, think about what i can do to drain the crawlspace and dry it out. Plan to head home early to tend to it while hardware and home improvement stores are still open. Great, a critical customer issue gets escalated at work and i have to stay late. 7:30 comes and i finally get to cut out. I zip home in 30 mins and as i approach the town, i'm seeing more lights on in homes and businesses along the way so that's promising. First thing i check as i open the front door is if the porch light will switch on. BINGO, I have power! I give another look-over. Everything is kosher so i check the crawlspace. EMPTY! the sumps must have come on when the power was reestablished so they did their part and worked overtime to drain the temporary swimming pool that was under my house. What a relief. I plug in the ventilators and start airing that out. Now i can start un-battening the hatches and getting on with things. What a stressful weekend. Hey Irene, FFFUUUUUUU!

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Good story and glad to hear you didn't have any problems.

 

Harry

[Dan 177]

As other posters contributed regarding genny maintenance,

 

A new genny, you should change the oil after the first 20 hours or so of use (break in period). After that change it after every 100 hours. As another poster stated , you can go longer if you use a good synthetic oil and/or it has an oil filter. Air cleaner should be cleaned every 200 hours or so, replaced when beyond cleanable.

[maideneddie 35]

Finally the power came back on, around 17:30. Picked up all the essentials to pamper the generator, so hopefully it will be able to get a rest for now. Time to go do some laundry....

[hd2000fxdl 422]

Finally the power came back on, around 17:30. Picked up all the essentials to pamper the generator, so hopefully it will be able to get a rest for now. Time to go do some laundry....

 

Good to hear, by the way, I'll post some pic's if I get them of the IM Plane, I think one of the guys in the tower got some of it landing, taking off and on the ground. Also I have to ask, why do so many people write 17:30 when it should be 1730??

 

Harry