i have been on the road all day. found two genarators in Wareham home dept. got one set up at my parents in halifax and my old man had the correct wires that they have the furnce hooked up and have the house up to 70 degrees. My house is now hooked up for the pellet stove nd a few space heaters and is up to a toasty 42 degrees.
I draind all the pipes eariler so they wont freeze but I am back at my brothers in lakeville for the night so I can watch the game at some point.
I am hoping my new boss understands why I am not at work tomorrow if not screw him
while I was driving around I saw a ton of damage. I was in wareham, kingston, carver, middleboro, lakeville, halifax, plympton and plymouth.
every single street I was on had at least one tree down on top of wires and I mean every one.
I saw about 15 utilitly poles snapped in half. I saw at least 150 wires snapped and/or laying on the ground.
I saw transformers hanging 1/2 way down utilitly poles and some on the ground.
It is like a friggen war zone out there.
Yeah I can certainly see why those towns by and large don't have power. I think there is a transformer a few blocks away from me that caught fire because there's a couple side roads that don't have power but just about everyone else does. I was under the impression that a transformer could somehow by bypassed safely as long as the lines weren't under a huge strain (and thinking that most houses PROBABLY aren't running air conditioners) so it could work. I guess I was wrong.
I assume many people will be missing from my office tomorrow. A friend of mine in New Bedford was saying that his street hasn't even been plowed. That was around 4pm today.
Quincy is/was a friggin mess on the way to and from work today. Getting onto the highway to go home to Bridgewater, the on ramp was so schittilly plowed that it was required to drive over the elevated concrete median to get on the highway, all while guessing no cars were coming because the snow banks were to high to see anything until you were already merged onto the highway. Plenty of spots where two/three lane roads randomly slimmed down to one because of snow banks....needless to say, very dangerous.
I know it would never happen in the NHL because the players would get burnt out completely, but wouldn't it be sweet for them to schedule the make up game on Thursday the 21st when the Bruins are already playing Tampa and turn it into a double header? Oh man, 2 Bruins games in 1 day would be an awesome day full of hockey.
we got smoked up here in Maine too, I can not believe we did not lose power, i lose power in the summer for crying out loud. bought a generator before sandy and have not had to hook it up yet thankfully. huge winds, we had snow drifts almost 5 feet high at my front door it was ridiculous. family on the south shore did not fare as well, hope they get power back soon and good luck to everyone, stay safe and think before you do anything stupid, especially when it comes to generators and power.
So after two days of long hard work we have managed to: snow blow and shovel our 800 foot driveway which hadn't been plowed past 9 PM Friday (still had around 16 inches of heavy snow on the ground), chain saw a path through the 80 foot pine that rested across our driveway (blocking our only access to the road), identify where the sporadically thrown cable and telephone wires were for both our house and the house to the front left of us at the top of the driveway (some had been buried under the snow, others stuck under the tree and downed poles), got the wires to the side of the driveway, got the transformer out of the middle of the driveway (we cut the telephone pole right below where the transformer was and rolled that piece off to the side of the driveway), and got the generator hooked up to provide energy for the fireplace insert which blows the hot air from the fire into the main floor of our house. We also have the fridge, a lamp, the Foreman grill, and our four laptops hooked up so that we can have contact with the world (someone around the area has a wireless network that provides us all with 1 bar). Listened to the game on the radio while playing rummy with my brother.
A guy that National Grid had flown in from Texas came by to inspect the scene and said that this was the first major problem he had come across. The news is not good: when the tree fell, it snapped two telephone poles including the one with the cables that hooked up to the underground wires which connect to our house. He quite literally used the phrasing "you're on your own for a little while." If the underground wires have busted, we will be out of power until the Spring because we will have to wait until the ice in the ground melts to even be able to even get to the wires. He told us that first and foremost the telephone company has to come to remove the transformer, downed wires and the two telephone poles, and then install the two new poles and new wires. After this has been accomplished, National Grid can come to install the power cables however they have no intention of and will not be setting up the connection to the underground wires. Instead we have to find and pay out of pocket for a certified electrician to come and make the connection with all new wires (which could be awhile before there is an opening). After the connection has been made, the town has to come to inspect and approve the connection (which again, will take some time because of all of the other inspections). After it has been approved by the town, National Grid can then come back and they will then turn on our power (which will take even more time because of everyone else they need to do the same thing for). The best part of all of this is that since there has only been three customers affected by this, we're not priority for any of the above tasks. We have no idea if this will be covered by our homeowner's insurance. Making calls to the different providers is the main priority for tomorrow.
Haven't showered since Friday morning at 5:30 AM and I smell like an expired can of spam. Good thing we washed all of our clothes before the storm hit and had bought enough food to survive for a little while should something like this happen.
The roads in my town are absolutely horrible. Since the town decided to build a new multi-million dollar school, they didn't have enough money set aside and didn't prepare for snow treatment or removal. One of my buddies who plows says the town plowed once at the beginning of the storm and that was it - there was no sand or salt put down on the roads. It appeared as though the cars themselves had done most of the clearing all around town and had compacted the snow.
I don't expect to have a full functioning house for about a month at best. Both of my parents work from home (mother is an online retailer, dad is a director of new business and development for his company that is out of Cincinnati) and my brother has the opportunity to work from home in the event that it's necessary. I on the other hand have an 80 mile commute and no ability to work out of home due to security restrictions (paralegal at a law firm). This is going to be a long and expensive month, especially at $40 a day for the generator.
Edit: I'll be posting up some videos and pictures when I get the chance.
Last edited by The Leviathan: 02-11-2013 at 12:33 AM.
This commute is ****ing miserable. Waited outside for 40 mins for a bus that never came at a stop that was covered in snow, forcing me to stand in the street. A bus finally comes and traffic is the worst I've ever seen it in this neighborhood. I started my commute almost 60 mins ago...it usually takes me 40 door to door. I'm supposed to be at work now, I'll be lucky to get there by 9:30.
I understand the need to get back to business as normal, but things just aren't cleaned up enough for people to safely get around.
So after two days of long hard work we have managed to: snow blow and shovel our 800 foot driveway which hadn't been plowed past 9 PM Friday (still had around 16 inches of heavy snow on the ground), chain saw a path through the 80 foot pine that rested across our driveway (blocking our only access to the road), identify where the sporadically thrown cable and telephone wires were for both our house and the house to the front left of us at the top of the driveway (some had been buried under the snow, others stuck under the tree and downed poles), got the wires to the side of the driveway, got the transformer out of the middle of the driveway (we cut the telephone pole right below where the transformer was and rolled that piece off to the side of the driveway), and got the generator hooked up to provide energy for the fireplace insert which blows the hot air from the fire into the main floor of our house. We also have the fridge, a lamp, the Foreman grill, and our four laptops hooked up so that we can have contact with the world (someone around the area has a wireless network that provides us all with 1 bar). Listened to the game on the radio while playing rummy with my brother.
A guy that National Grid had flown in from Texas came by to inspect the scene and said that this was the first major problem he had come across. The news is not good: when the tree fell, it snapped two telephone poles including the one with the cables that hooked up to the underground wires which connect to our house. He quite literally used the phrasing "you're on your own for a little while." If the underground wires have busted, we will be out of power until the Spring because we will have to wait until the ice in the ground melts to even be able to even get to the wires. He told us that first and foremost the telephone company has to come to remove the transformer, downed wires and the two telephone poles, and then install the two new poles and new wires. After this has been accomplished, National Grid can come to install the power cables however they have no intention of and will not be setting up the connection to the underground wires. Instead we have to find and pay out of pocket for a certified electrician to come and make the connection with all new wires (which could be awhile before there is an opening). After the connection has been made, the town has to come to inspect and approve the connection (which again, will take some time because of all of the other inspections). After it has been approved by the town, National Grid can then come back and they will then turn on our power (which will take even more time because of everyone else they need to do the same thing for). The best part of all of this is that since there has only been three customers affected by this, we're not priority for any of the above tasks. We have no idea if this will be covered by our homeowner's insurance. Making calls to the different providers is the main priority for tomorrow.
Haven't showered since Friday morning at 5:30 AM and I smell like an expired can of spam. Good thing we washed all of our clothes before the storm hit and had bought enough food to survive for a little while should something like this happen.
The roads in my town are absolutely horrible. Since the town decided to build a new multi-million dollar school, they didn't have enough money set aside and didn't prepare for snow treatment or removal. One of my buddies who plows says the town plowed once at the beginning of the storm and that was it - there was no sand or salt put down on the roads. It appeared as though the cars themselves had done most of the clearing all around town and had compacted the snow.
I don't expect to have a full functioning house for about a month at best. Both of my parents work from home (mother is an online retailer, dad is a director of new business and development for his company that is out of Cincinnati) and my brother has the opportunity to work from home in the event that it's necessary. I on the other hand have an 80 mile commute and no ability to work out of home due to security restrictions (paralegal at a law firm). This is going to be a long and expensive month, especially at $40 a day for the generator.
Edit: I'll be posting up some videos and pictures when I get the chance.
This commute is ****ing miserable. Waited outside for 40 mins for a bus that never came at a stop that was covered in snow, forcing me to stand in the street. A bus finally comes and traffic is the worst I've ever seen it in this neighborhood. I started my commute almost 60 mins ago...it usually takes me 40 door to door. I'm supposed to be at work now, I'll be lucky to get there by 9:30.
I understand the need to get back to business as normal, but things just aren't cleaned up enough for people to safely get around.
I've been standing at the Sullivan Square T Stop for 40 minutes. No idea when I'll finally get on a train.
Kingston line was 7 minutes late getting into Boston today. I would have considered anything under 45 minutes to be a success, and 7 minutes late is pretty damn close to a normal day. The walk from South Station to Downtown Crossing was an adventure though. The walkways are cleared for the most part (some really icy/slushy parts) but there is no entrance point to/from the streets! So it was either climb snow banks to get to the walkways, or walk along the streets. I chose the streets.
So after two days of long hard work we have managed to: snow blow and shovel our 800 foot driveway which hadn't been plowed past 9 PM Friday (still had around 16 inches of heavy snow on the ground), chain saw a path through the 80 foot pine that rested across our driveway (blocking our only access to the road), identify where the sporadically thrown cable and telephone wires were for both our house and the house to the front left of us at the top of the driveway (some had been buried under the snow, others stuck under the tree and downed poles), got the wires to the side of the driveway, got the transformer out of the middle of the driveway (we cut the telephone pole right below where the transformer was and rolled that piece off to the side of the driveway), and got the generator hooked up to provide energy for the fireplace insert which blows the hot air from the fire into the main floor of our house. We also have the fridge, a lamp, the Foreman grill, and our four laptops hooked up so that we can have contact with the world (someone around the area has a wireless network that provides us all with 1 bar). Listened to the game on the radio while playing rummy with my brother.
A guy that National Grid had flown in from Texas came by to inspect the scene and said that this was the first major problem he had come across. The news is not good: when the tree fell, it snapped two telephone poles including the one with the cables that hooked up to the underground wires which connect to our house. He quite literally used the phrasing "you're on your own for a little while." If the underground wires have busted, we will be out of power until the Spring because we will have to wait until the ice in the ground melts to even be able to even get to the wires. He told us that first and foremost the telephone company has to come to remove the transformer, downed wires and the two telephone poles, and then install the two new poles and new wires. After this has been accomplished, National Grid can come to install the power cables however they have no intention of and will not be setting up the connection to the underground wires. Instead we have to find and pay out of pocket for a certified electrician to come and make the connection with all new wires (which could be awhile before there is an opening). After the connection has been made, the town has to come to inspect and approve the connection (which again, will take some time because of all of the other inspections). After it has been approved by the town, National Grid can then come back and they will then turn on our power (which will take even more time because of everyone else they need to do the same thing for). The best part of all of this is that since there has only been three customers affected by this, we're not priority for any of the above tasks. We have no idea if this will be covered by our homeowner's insurance. Making calls to the different providers is the main priority for tomorrow.
Haven't showered since Friday morning at 5:30 AM and I smell like an expired can of spam. Good thing we washed all of our clothes before the storm hit and had bought enough food to survive for a little while should something like this happen.
The roads in my town are absolutely horrible. Since the town decided to build a new multi-million dollar school, they didn't have enough money set aside and didn't prepare for snow treatment or removal. One of my buddies who plows says the town plowed once at the beginning of the storm and that was it - there was no sand or salt put down on the roads. It appeared as though the cars themselves had done most of the clearing all around town and had compacted the snow.
I don't expect to have a full functioning house for about a month at best. Both of my parents work from home (mother is an online retailer, dad is a director of new business and development for his company that is out of Cincinnati) and my brother has the opportunity to work from home in the event that it's necessary. I on the other hand have an 80 mile commute and no ability to work out of home due to security restrictions (paralegal at a law firm). This is going to be a long and expensive month, especially at $40 a day for the generator.
Edit: I'll be posting up some videos and pictures when I get the chance.
