East Coasters, are you ready for FrankenStorm? (Hurricane Sandy)

[pendell]

Remember: the fear of a thing is often worse than the thing itself.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Togath]

not to insult you east coast people, but it doesn't sound that bad(then again, from my experience, a lot of people tend to over react about weather in places in the U.S. other then the west coast[and especially compared to coastal western Washington, then again, we aren't really fazed by much, for example during some flooding a few years ago most people just kept on going about buisness as usual, just driving around the ponds in the road])
two feet of snow and some heavy wind just sounds like an average strong, fall/winter storm for here(it may be different in other places, especially since we don't get tornados or hurricanes here).

[Lateral]

not to insult you east coast people, but it doesn't sound that bad(then again, from my experience, a lot of people tend to over react about weather in places other then the west coast[and especially compared to coastal western Washington, then again, we aren't really fazed by much])
two feet of snow and some heavy wind just sounds like an average strong, fall/winter storm.

As a New Englander, I'd have to agree, at least simply in strength. You have to remember, though, that that isn't all we're talking about. It's also affecting the entire East Coast, a good deal further inland than your average storm, and a lot of the places affected don't get this kind of weather regularly. The damage that two feet of snow and nearly gale-force winds can do is huge when the buildings and such aren't built to withstand that kind of weather.

[Togath]

Ah, the buildings thing hadn't occured to me, good point about that bit.

[Dr.Epic]

The power stays out for days at a time here. We're only about 30 houses on 1 switch in my neighborhood, so we're the last priority. If the power goes out, I'll probably be taking showers at work.

Here it is, sitting there like a giant slug of moisture. Not doing much yet.

Wow! That picture has moving in it.

[Togath]

Something else I just now wondered about; how common are redunant power supplies to houses in other parts of the country?

[Amidus Drexel]

Something else I just now wondered about; how common are redunant power supplies to houses in other parts of the country?

Where I am? Fairly uncommon. Generators aren't hard to get, but not everyone has one (and I can't think of anyone that has one that would power their whole house). The one I've got is pretty small.

[Togath]

No, I meant more then one power line(or box thingy?, never been sure which would matter in that case). Since I moved to a city about six years ago my home generally seems like it has 2-3 power sources going to it(sometimes it'll have it's power go out for about 5-10 seconds before turning back on). Due to not having lived in a city before then(other then for a short time when I was very young) I had assumed until now that the multiple power source thing was normal in cities/large towns.

[Amidus Drexel]

No, I meant more then one power line(or box thingy?, never been sure which would matter in that case). Since I moved to a city about six years ago my home generally seems like it has 2-3 power sources going to it(sometimes it'll have it's power go out for about 5-10 seconds before turning back on). Due to not having lived in a city before then(other then for a short time when I was very young) I had assumed until now that the multiple power source thing was normal in cities/large towns.

Oh, no. I'm a ways out of town. There's only one line to my house for power.

[thubby]

Really? That's strange. None of the 3 airports around us have cancelled any flights yet and we're supposed to get it before and probably worse than New York will. I'm very much hoping that they don't. My dad and Zeb were supposed to fly in on Tuesday, but because we didn't think they would make it in, they're trying to fly in today. At least Zeb is, I don't know if my dad will make it until tomorrow...then he'll really run into problems getting here.

this sometimes happens for big hubs like newark international. it actually comes down to where to put all the freaking aircraft.
the weather may not be hostile yet, but EVERYTHING that cant get out of there in the next 5-or-so hours needs to be put somewhere safe, and that means they cant have MORE coming in.

im gonna be in the middle of this thing, but my house is towards the top of a hill and well inland. i wouldnt be surprised if people wound up at the nearby church.

[Kurgan]

Why yes, I do work at a grocery store, and yes, my weekend has been miserable, with swarms and swarms of angry customers. You live in Western New York, you should already be prepared for storms!

This, just this. Had to come in on my day off, and we still barely stayed afloat. My favorite term for it comes from a customer who came through about 4-5 years back: It is the "Oh god the sky is falling!" crowd. They actually stopped bothering refilling the shelves in the water aisle about midway through Saturday and instead just dumped pallets full of cases throughout the store.

That said, my favorite is just how much panic shoppers seem to like buying perishable foods. Power outage? By god get some yogurt, it is the only way to stop the storm!

And yes, in New York, first big storm of the year gets this hard, and then after about the 3rd or 4th storm of the season, people suddenly remember that most of the roads are cleared within a day and stop panicking.

[Mauve Shirt]

So glad I don't work at a grocery store anymore.

[pendell]

No, I meant more then one power line(or box thingy?, never been sure which would matter in that case). Since I moved to a city about six years ago my home generally seems like it has 2-3 power sources going to it(sometimes it'll have it's power go out for about 5-10 seconds before turning back on). Due to not having lived in a city before then(other then for a short time when I was very young) I had assumed until now that the multiple power source thing was normal in cities/large towns.

I had a discussion with a power line guy outside my apartment during the last storm. He was waiting to throw the switch to turn the power back onto our block but was waiting for permission to do so from up the line.

Normally our area has a multiply-redundant network, so that if a tree takes down one line power can be restored to everywhere within seconds by the miracle of switching. He says that most people never even notice power outages for just that reason. It's only when a lot of lines are taken down, or when the line coming out of a substation is cut, that there are lengthy outages.

Once the lines ARE down, they can't just flip the switch and turn them back on. They need to reconstruct a route and double and triple check to make sure that A) it is safe to do so and won't blow out every house on the line, as well as starting fires et al B) that all the workers are clear of the line, as working on a power line when it suddenly goes active can be an ... unpleasant experience. Electrocution often is.

That's why he was sitting in front of my apartment watching his cell phone for an incoming message. Because he has to be absolutely sure that flipping the switch will result in lights for everyone instead of fires, electrocutions, and even wider outages with a longer repair time. The ambulance-chasing lawyers who turn up whenever there's a hint of liability makes the power company even more cautious.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Orzel]

When Irene went by here, my power was out for a day. And I spent an hour with an electric drain machine keeping my drains clear of debris.

Worst of all, something broke my window and let the rain in. Near the bookshelf.

I will remember you
4th ED DMG 1
4th ED MM 1
Order of the Stick Adventure Game Instruction Manual



I just finished sealing up mu books.

[Traab]

This, just this. Had to come in on my day off, and we still barely stayed afloat. My favorite term for it comes from a customer who came through about 4-5 years back: It is the "Oh god the sky is falling!" crowd. They actually stopped bothering refilling the shelves in the water aisle about midway through Saturday and instead just dumped pallets full of cases throughout the store.

That said, my favorite is just how much panic shoppers seem to like buying perishable foods. Power outage? By god get some yogurt, it is the only way to stop the storm!

And yes, in New York, first big storm of the year gets this hard, and then after about the 3rd or 4th storm of the season, people suddenly remember that most of the roads are cleared within a day and stop panicking.

Yeah I used to work at costco and have had the same thing happen. Its a bit less of a mess, simply due to the sheer volume of pallets that can be brought out of the various waters. Lets face it, 6 pallets of water do vanish slower than 1. :p And then you add in the fact that there are also 6 pallets each of another half dozen types of water bottle and you have a slow drain fairly easy to keep up with. When it runs low, just slam the pile with 4 guys with pallet jacks and bang, back to full in short order.

But yeah, the panic is so freaking annoying. I havent gotten truly worried over a storm in years. Even the very worst ones are rarely that bad. A power outage is rarely the end of the world, even an extended one. Its an annoyance mainly, and there are always work arounds since roads are rarely blocked for long. In truth, the after effects are more BORING than scary. No tv, no internet, no movies, bleh.

[pendell]

Turn has started. While we in DC are in the line of the storm, it seems like the largest impact will be felt in NYC and the Jersey shore. Listening to the weather channel on streaming youtube. It sounds like it's pretty impressive on the Hudson river.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Debbie_D]

Meh
Too much hype = too little effects.

[pendell]

So who else laid in a stack of manga in case of power outage from the local library?

Actually, I laid in that stack ANYWAY, but we've got to have our priorities straight.

Respectfully,

Brian P.

[Leecros]

Personally i dug out my old Gameboy Color and Pokemon Gold&Silver, extra batteries for it, and the light i bought for it ages ago.


If pokemon can't keep me occupied for the longest possible time the power could be out then i think we're all in trouble...

[MonkeyBusiness]

So who else laid in a stack of manga in case of power outage from the local library?

I love you, Brian. That's the most sensible precaution I've ever heard about. Except maybe Orzel's precaution of sealing up the bookshelf. Sorry to hear about that. Take care up there.
.

[mansa]

I live in yonkers the rain has not started yet and the wind is fairly pleasant. I hope it stays that way.

[Talya]

This is bullpoop.

If we're going to get a hurricane in Ontario, I also want my 80 degree winters and palm trees. Frack this partial-caribbean weather.

I must organize a protest. Maybe sue some meteorologists (in an italian court.)

[TheWombatOfDoom]

Rains a pouring, winds a blowing. The hurricane proper isn't hitting in Philadelphia, but it doesn't affect me...I still have to be in to work despite how bad it is. I may end up just staying here. The good news is that work has HUGE back up generators, so i'll have a shower, and power to charge my phone, and so on.

[The Succubus]

This is bullpoop.

If we're going to get a hurricane in Ontario, I also want my 80 degree winters and palm trees. Frack this partial-caribbean weather.

I must organize a protest. Maybe sue some meteorologists (in an italian court.)

Yes, I heard about that. Rather ridiculous, wasn't it?

Reminds me of a famous UK weatherman called Michael Fish. He stated that the Great Storm of 1987 would miss the UK and not be an issue. He was rather incorrect with this statement.

And me. Right?

Of course I worry about you, Guy! I'll be awfully disappointed if you don't come to the UK meetup.

Also Zoidberg.

Let's not go nuts here though....

[Traab]

Getting gusts of wind, a bit of rain. Everyone is freaking out so much the governor has shut down the highways to all nonessential traffic an hour from now. Im just.... UGH! You would think I need to build an ark or something with how hardcore the state is acting on battening down the hatches here. I swear to god, if I dont see a HOUSE fly by my window before this storm is over, I will be very disappointed.

[snoopy13a]

But yeah, the panic is so freaking annoying. I havent gotten truly worried over a storm in years. Even the very worst ones are rarely that bad. A power outage is rarely the end of the world, even an extended one. Its an annoyance mainly, and there are always work arounds since roads are rarely blocked for long. In truth, the after effects are more BORING than scary. No tv, no internet, no movies, bleh.

Power outages in the spring, summer, and fall, are boring. Power outages in the winter can be scary. That's why out of all the storms, I fear ice storms the most. Two feet of snow in winter? No big deal. Ice storm that knocks out your power for a week in the middle of January? Not so fun...

[Traab]

Power outages in the spring, summer, and fall, are boring. Power outages in the winter can be scary. That's why out of all the storms, I fear ice storms the most. Two feet of snow in winter? No big deal. Ice storm that knocks out your power for a week in the middle of January? Not so fun...

True, but since its october, I wont stress out. Oddly enough, I cant recall the last major ice storm we have had in winter. We generally get power back on really fast anyways, so a day or two of wearing double layers of clothes in the house isnt that bad. Though I suppose if you had babies or old people it would be more worrisome.

[Gamerlord]

Hasn't been too bad over here in NYC, but from what I heard things will start to get real ugly in a few hours.

[Totally Guy]

Of course I worry about you, Guy! I'll be awfully disappointed if you don't come to the UK meetup.

I ran one of the best games I'd ever run yesterday. I ought to volunteer it to the meetup.

[TheWombatOfDoom]

I'd like to state my DnD group has decided to meet no matter what, rain or shine, power or no.