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Home > Made it through the storm

Made it through the storm

October 31st, 2012 at 03:12 pm

Hi, guys.

The storm is past, thank God. I lost power at 6:10 pm Monday (and still without, but I am here at my mom's). A few minutes after I lost power, the phone rang. I wondered who in the world would be calling me at the height of the storm. Of all people, it was the guy whose business ethics book I'd been editing. (I finished and sent it to him Sunday night.)

I'm not sure why exactly he called; I don't really know the guy and haven't actually met him. But we wound up talking for an hour and a half, at the peak of the storm. It was kind of surreal, actually. I was so totally distracted by what was happening outside that I barely remember what he was talking about. Every so often I would let out a small scream as I heard things crashing around outside. I was jumping out of my skin!

After I hung up from him, I was in my bedroom window looking out a southward-facing window. In the moonlight, all i could see was the sky. This was very strange, because the sky should have been completely obstructed by a 75-foot tall white pine. There was no sign of it. In the front yard (east), i could also make out something on the ground, but it was hard to see exactly what it was.

Yesterday morning, in the light of day, the full damage became apparent. I had two large white pines down in my yard; not branches or limbs, the whole tree. The one on the south side was one I'd been wanting to have taken down for years, as it was too close to the house. It was sheared off at the trunk about 8 feet high. By the grace of God, it did not strike the house; it fell into the back yard. The other white pine, along the road, fell in front, and there were large branches down elsewhere. There was also another white pine that fell on the road and they only cleared it yesterday afternoon.

Amazingly, I got a hold of an Ecuadorian guy who did tree work for me last year after Hurricane Irene. There were 3 of us working together. Best $100 I ever spent! I was lucky to get him out there becus he normally works a regular job 5 days a week, and also lucky he was able to get thru on the roads, cus lots of roads are still blocked by downed trees or wires. Took him a while to find gas for the chainsaw.

So the trees are mostly cleaned up already (!) but now I have a pile of debris in my driveway. He doesn't have the capacity to haul it away. Last year, the town allowed homeowners to pile tree debris along the curb and they picked it up at no charge; they have not yet decided whether they will do that again now. I sure hope so, becus my other option would be if my dad could eventually come up with his truck and we would load it and bring it to the landfill. Otherwise, I'll have to pay someone to take it away.

My phone is still working somehow, even though the wires ripped away from the house and are lying draped on my roof; conveniently, the 3 screws that had attached the wires to my house are also there on the roof nearby. Still no power though.

I heard that the 9/11 memorial in NYC was submerged under seawater and that the NY subways have taken on water. I have no idea what condition my dad's house is; i'm guessing there was major flooding. I don't know if he's still at my brother's or went back home yet. I suspect my brothers also lost power and are probably dealing with their own issues.

Yesterday I had a lovely hot stew dinner at my neighbors. They don't have power either but she used a camp stove and we ate by candlelight. Plus they had a fire going in the fireplace, which was really nice. I got there at 4 pm and went home at 8 pm and went straight to bed, cus my house is chilly.

Today I drove J. to work. He had told me before the storm hit that his office was closed Monday and he was taking Tuesday as a vacation day, but I figured he would call me when he was ready to go back to work and needed a ride. Apparently he HAD been trying to reach me, but since my answering machine needs power to work, the phone just rang and rang; must've been when i was doing the tree cleanup work.

Anyway, I drove him in to work this a.m. He was anxious to work cus he can't afford no pay. Driving him helped me feel some semblance of normalcy. I went out this a.m. earlier looking for ice but couldn't find any. But they have returned power to the main commercial area so you can get gas and groceries.

Am really hoping will have power by the weekend, as they're forecasting temps in the 20s.

I heard a terrible news report about two young boys in North Salem NY (hometown of an old boyfriend of mine) who were having a sleepover at home. A 200-year-old oak tree fell on the house and killed them, also injuring some other children. They were only 10 years old.

This was not a storm to mess around with. I would like to have a heart to heart talk with my father that he can't just be the Lone Ranger anymore.

I still have a season's worth of blanched tomatoes in the freezer that i lovingly nurtured all summer. Tonight will mark the 2 day mark at which point freezer food may not be good. What do you think about tomatoes? There's a lot of acidity in them. How long do you think they could last?

11 Responses to “Made it through the storm”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    1351696633

    So glad to hear you are safe! I hope the power comes back to your hope VERY VERY soon.

  2. CB in the City Says:
    1351699590

    Thank goodness it's over! I can't believe how quickly your trees have been cleared! As much as it hurts to dump the lovingly nurtured tomatoes, I think you should not take chances with your health.

  3. librarylady Says:
    1351700769

    I'm glad you got through the storm okay. That is so sad about the little boys. What a tragedy!
    Here's praying your power returns very soon!

  4. MonkeyMama Says:
    1351704983

    *fingers crossed* for power very soon!!

  5. carol b. Says:
    1351708076

    I'd check with a County Extension or Cornell or find the USDA site about the tomatoes. They might be fine.

  6. Ima saver Says:
    1351709831

    Glad you are ok and hope you get power very soon! (and heat)

  7. snafu Says:
    1351711635

    Delighted that you're safe and the house avoided serious damage. We are hearing $ 50 Billion in damages already. The storm coverage at CNN was terrifying and we know Sandy's tracking to the eastern city where our sons attend a Canadian university. I can't imagine how the affected states would manage this level of damage without help from FEMA. How much would they need to assess each taxpayer to pay for organization, rescue, clean-up and repairs. Would they really dissolve FEMA since there seems to be a 'once-in-a-life-time-storm,' every year.

  8. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1351722512

    I'm glad to hear that you are okay. I hope your power is restored quickly!

  9. Tightwad Kitty Says:
    1351751955

    So glad to hear you are safe! You were very lucky with your trees I hope they get pick up for free! Stay safe.

  10. cheapiepoo Says:
    1351805148

    Glad you are safe!

  11. Jerry Says:
    1352073826

    Glad you are safe, that you had the insurance of a guy who was available to help with the trees, and that you could help J get back to work... anything that will lead to some semblance of normalcy after such an event is good, I think, as you mentioned.
    All the best for a speedy recovery for the region!
    Jerry

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