Storm

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LovelyLadyLux
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Storm

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

We are getting one awful ferocious storm. Winds are gusting between 70 & 100Km/hour, trees are coming down, trash cans openly blowing everywhere all over the place and (fingers crossed) the hydro won't go out although I just heard 45,000 homes are without electricity right now. All Ferry sailings cancelled 'til further notice.

Am getting everything I can charged up, have sufficient food but ???

The Daughter's house hasn't had electricity since about 11am nor has the school and their Christmas Concert has now been cancelled until Jan 8th.

This blow through (and I hope it blows through fast) is probably the most severe storm I've seen.

Branches just flying through the air everywhere

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This one just bounced off the roof of the back deck (sounded lots bigger than it actually was)

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And just got soaked going out to right this plant pot that blew over prior to it bouncing all the way down the stairs of the back deck.

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Forecast-wise this is supposed to subside soon (I hope).


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Re: Storm

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Just saw this blurb come across from the NEWS "The numbers are constantly changing but as of 1:15 p.m., there were more than 95,000 customers without power on Vancouver Island."

And

Dozens of issues around the City as trees and hydro lines fall all over the city from winds gusting 100 km/h.
Reports of:
- Trees down on Hwy. 19 in Lantzville near Superior Rd. impacting southbound traffic. Caller says southbound will be challenged to get through
- Power lines down at the top of Rutherford Rd. hill. Detours in place.
- Trees down on Hammond Bay Rd. near the library blocking multiple lanes
- Nearly 10,000 Nanaimo BC Hydro customers without power. Traffic lights out all over the city, people reminded to use four-way stop procedure
- Debris and trees/branches covering multiple roads all over the region
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Re: Storm

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Well no sooner posted my backyard than I'm seeing the other end of the street now has a downed tree + power lines so I guess I'm now here for the duration. Can't get out even if I wanted to.

9835
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Re: Storm

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Now this from another neighbour - power pole down. We're all on a watch page so we can 'alert' each other to happenings

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Another neighbour is reporting the house next to his lost their sky light (these are huge glass windows inserted into the roof) and now, of course, that neighbour can't get home. He is asking for tarps to cover it but other neighbours are cautioning about going up onto a roof and what is going to hold down a tarp? Lots of shingles flying through the air too. Guess having branches in the backyard isn't that bad. Hope this storm passes fast.
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Re: Storm

Post by Ruby Slippers »

Oh dear! That looks ferocious! Hope it passes over soon, LLL! I think Grandad will be ok to fly. He said they were going on the 23rd so he has a couple of days yet.
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Re: Storm

Post by Mad Dilys »

We also had a storm last night even worse than the last one, I wouldn't be surprised if there was structural damage. However though blustery, it's a fine bright day for a change - had to have the lights on all day several times recently.
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Re: Storm

Post by Kiya »

Oh ! LLL that looks bad, hope you all get back to normal soon :)
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Re: Storm

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

It was bad and it has now damaged our water system too! Lots of downed hydro lines, impassable roads, shingles flying off house roofs, one neighbours skylight blowing off.

Nothing now, storm has moved on but I sure don't want to go through that again!
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Re: Storm

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Had an appointment today just after 9am so had to run out. OMG - most of the roads around here are closed and the area next to me has no electricity either. As there is now a "Do Not Use the Water" warning most places are closed as they can't maintain health/sanitary conditions so the Dentist office wasn't open anyway :(

Didn't realize how serious the water situation is/was. Hopefully they'll be able to fix it asap so that buying water doesn't become an issue (an issue in that it'll have to be brought in and people will buy it in bulk so as to have water meaning there will be a shortage soon).

The immediate streets are awful. I saw one house around the corner from me that had a huge tree across the roof.

These are not MY photos but are being posted by neighbours

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The Ferries are running again today which is one good thing. Was one of the worst storms I've seen in this area.
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Re: Storm

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I've got about 3 gallons of water that I keep & regularly replace just in case of emergency which is NOW as the City is shutting the water off ....... and ordering all businesses to close. :(

85 MILLION for a new water system and when they went into over-runs for a back up generator they fudged so now that the main generator is broke we've got NO water ....... Going to be a LONG drive to the next City for water.
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Re: Storm

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Water is back ON!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lots of areas around here still without electricity. The local recreational centers are open as "warming places" and will stay open until 9pm so anybody in a cold house can go there.

This has been one of the absolute worst storms ever to happen here.
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Re: Storm

Post by Ruby Slippers »

I'm so glad to hear that you have water at least, LLL! Your government sounds a lot like ours insofar as the lack of contingency plans should the worst happen, and yet these things happen time after time. I do hope the powers that be get their act together sooner rather than later to make sure that the population don't have a totally ruined Christmas!
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Re: Storm

Post by Mad Dilys »

I don't know what word you can use to describe your situation LLL, especially those with young children and animals to look after - worrying sounds so feeble. I too am glad that you have water again and join with Ruby in wishing that Christmas - and everyday water and warmth is restored for good.
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Re: Storm

Post by Ruby Slippers »

Looking at the latest world news this morning, LLL, it seems as though your storm was literally a 'storm in a teacup' against the latest tsunami! :( Reading the reports, we have to realise just how lucky we are, don't we?
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Re: Storm

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Water as of some time last night is back and up to full speed (WHEW) however there are still lots of homes without power.

Now that the Ferrys are running there is a photo of about 10+ Hydro trucks coming from the mainland to help and assist get electricity going again. Part of the issue is/was - most houses here have electric stoves so IF you have to boil water there is no ability to do that.

The "news" is saying that some houses may not get electric back 'til Christmas (or a day or two after) but that number is getting smaller and smaller as neighbourhoods are reporting their electric has been restored.

Very luck here in that my strip of 5 or so houses didn't seem to sustain much damage in that there is a high bluff across the street and all I can think is that that bluff forced most of the winds to go over me. Further down the street people lost shingles, skylights, trees came down. All I lost was a fence but was able to get 2 guys here yesterday to purchase new fence posts (which will go in today) and then they can reattach the panels.

This storm has also caused a storm of discussion as to how really prepared are we for an earthquake or worse storm. Seems it was an errant power surge that fried out some elements at our new Water Treatment plant that also took out the fan belt. And the news that a back up generator wasn't really fully functioning hasn't gone over too well either. When there was a cost overrun to the main generator apparently the scrimping came on the second one.

Seems nobody had a 3 day supply of back up water. I had 3 to 4 gallons of drinkable for me but if we had gone longer it might have been bad although I do have a straw deal (cost a fair penny) but if I needed to I could drink a few hundred gallons of pond water through it and be ok. Don't really ever want to have to test it but I have it in my stash of survival stuff. Worse case scenerio I'd of had to walk over to the Daughter who lives just up from a fresh water lake you could drink from if necessary.

I've always dreamed of putting an old fashioned wood stove in a shed out back. Nothing huge but basically a floor with 4 walls and a wood stove that I could put a pot on top of and keep warm if necessary. There is nothing worse than getting cold and not being able to warm up. The City did open all the recreational complexes as 'warming stations' and are keeping them open 'til 9pm but some people are still stuck in neighbourhoods due to trees being down.

All in all it has been a bit of an eye-opener for some and a couple of the stores have chimed in that they're sold out of batteries/flashlights/candles etc within hours of this happening. I was also surprised that only a couple of the stores here had independent generators to keep them open and going during an outage.

Am going to have to re-evaluate my own 'stuff' - I've got water, blankets, candles, oil lamps (the old fashioned type with hurricane clear glass tops), flints & strickers, water purification straw and clay pots with small tea-light candles to make a passive heater (good enough for 1 room to keep me from freezing), pots for cooking and lots of dried food as well as hard copy books to read but am thinking now I've got to add a tent and some water proof tarps.......any thoughts on anything else to add?

Never happens 'til it does and I guess I need to be prepared.
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Re: Storm

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

"Most" of the main parts of the Island are back to normal. The remote or out islands are still without and word is that those areas will be got to when they can be got to but they're probably going to have a cold Christmas.

I was very lucky to get some guys here right away to fix my fence that blew over but that luck was only cause they were already working close in the neighbourhood. All new fence posts cemented in, fence panels re-attached and it is done. (Whew)

Most streets are now passable unless the tree is a huge one (will be grabbed up fast for firewood) but the side streets still covered with branches.

All in all we're good here.
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Re: Storm

Post by FABlux »

Glad you are OK and getting back to normall LLL :)
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Re: Storm

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Watching the morning news and as we're nearing year end the News is reviewing this last storm as one of the biggest and worst ever. At the height of the storm over 700,000 homes in the Province were without electric and as of right now the out Islands will still be without electricity for another week to 10 days. Some of the First Nation Bands have had their entire winter stocks of food spoil and the clean up continues. Photo after photo has been appearing on social media showing the aftermath of trees downed, roads closed.

Was definitely the worst storm I've ever experienced.
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Re: Storm

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

I know I keep yammering on about this but just got an official email from the Utility Company stating this WAS the worst and most damaging storm in all their history and affected 756,000 homes in the Province.

Found this bit interesting (which is why I'm posting it): Repairs were significant. The storm damaged over 1,900 spans of wire (about 86 kilometres, longer than the distance between Vancouver and Abbotsford), 390 poles, 700 cross-arms, and 230 transformers. On Salt Spring Island alone, more than 500 spans of wire came down and needed to be replaced...

I think the lights are now back on for everybody. My blown down fence is fixed, still lots of downed branches everywhere but most roads are safe to travel. Definitely hope this doesn't become the new norm here for storms.
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