Fun, fun, fun when the power is out

pat

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Oh boy has WA state had a time of it. We had no power at our house for 24 hours, lines at the gas stations, NO generators to be found (dh had to drive down to Vancouver OR to pick up one he bought over the phone...good thing too, as all the other generators this Lowes had in stock were sold by the time he got there).

Now that we have it, I can have my refrig on, computer/internet and printer and with that, I can live through only woodstove heat and cooking on the grill or atop our woodstove only (boiling and pan frying will work well for many recipes!!)

I actually packed and shipped orders today...poor folks, they got handwritten packing slips and my writing is ex-nurse used to busy unit bad!! Eek!
 

swampwitch

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It was a wild and wooly ride here in Victoria, too. We're by Juan de Fuca Strait and had hurricane-force winds (100+ km/hr or 65 mi/hr); three storms in one week!

We just came from a birthday party lit with candles and fireplaces (no electricity). The drinks were kept cold on the deck, the hostess had made most of the food ahead of time, and it turned out to be a great party!

Hope things return to normal for you soon.

Cheers, from
SwampWitch
 

natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by SwampWitch

It was a wild and wooly ride here in Victoria, too. We're by Juan de Fuca Strait and had hurricane-force winds (100+ km/hr or 65 mi/hr); three storms in one week!

We just came from a birthday party lit with candles and fireplaces (no electricity). The drinks were kept cold on the deck, the hostess had made most of the food ahead of time, and it turned out to be a great party!

Hope things return to normal for you soon.

Cheers, from
SwampWitch
I saw that on the news! I couldn't believe the size of the trees that had their roots ripped out of the ground.

You guys sure are getting some freaky weather.

It's actually been not too bad in Manitoba. I face north and I have my windows wide open and am not even chilled. It's supposed to be -13 celcius tonight with the wind chill, but it doesn't feel like it from inside my apartment.
 
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pat

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Originally Posted by Trouts mom

How long has your power been out? And why is it out?
Massive windstorm - not only coastal but in the Puget Sound area. We are lucky, within the customers our power company serves (there is more than one depending on if you live in Seattle, near Tacoma etc.), there were still 44,000 out of power last night when our power came back on. We were out of power for 24 hours...but with over a million originally out, the reports were (we have a handcrank emergency radio that is divine..I got to "listen" to Survivor on Thursday night as it picks up tv stations!) that it could take up to a week for everyone to have their power back on.

Ugh!!!!!!!
 

mzjazz2u

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Wow what an ordeal! Hey... at least you have the necessities though. Like your computer and internet!
All kidding aside, my thoughts are with you. I've been watching the weather in Washington on the news. What a mess!
 

rapunzel47

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Yep, we've had it here (Vancouver), too. We've actually fared better in our neighbourhood than many have. We were without power for 10 hours on Monday, and again yesterday for a couple of hours. Our fibreglas awning is toast. One of the panels got from the back of the house to the front and landed on the branch of our deodar that came down in the snow a couple of weeks ago. (That was interesting, too.) I think the current count of "removed" panels is 5. A neighbour up the street wasn't so lucky with their awning -- the whole structure tore off the house (back) and landed on their front lawn.

Stanley Park was closed, and with it the causeway to the Lion's Gate Bridge, one of two between the North Shore and Vancouver, until late yesterday. They opened the bridge in time for rush hour, but only to motor traffic -- no bikes, no pedestrians -- and the park is still closed.

There are trees severely damaged everywhere. My route to work is through one of the nice old neighbourhoods -- tree-lined streets, littered with piles of branches, and the ornamental trees -- well, I guess we'll see, come spring, but some of the "pruning" was pretty cruel.

And of course these falling branches are at least partly responsible for the power outages. On Monday, when we arrived home to darkness, we sought information about when power might be restored, before deciding whether to wait or go out for food. The recording on the BC Hydro line referred to a "major wind event" and said that crews would be going out to assess damage and prioitize repairs AFTER the wind let up. Wise, of course. But it meant that there was no estimate of how long that would take.

We were up and running shortly after midnight. But as of this morning, there were still 80,000+ BC Hydro customers without power. I have the distinct impression that Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands have had it worse. Thankfully, Rob's Mum (in Victoria) has not been without power, but his sister who lives up-Island was there for a few days, left yesterday morning to drive home, and it was seriously not nice when she got there, complicated by the fact that just as she arrived another driver lost control of her vehicle and rammed the power pole that serves their house. Right! Not directly weather damage, but related and the place was just as dark.

I could say bunches more, but that's probably enough for now. By all accounts, it's the worst anyone remembers in this area. Mother Nature is not happy with us. Given the weird weather that's happening everywhere, I think she's tossed her cards up in the air, and said to us collectively, "OK, you guys, you're so blessed smart about Nature -- you figure it out!"
 
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pat

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I think this calls for virtual chocolate truffles for all of us affected this past week!!!!
 

sharky

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Pat feel free to come visit ... cept for downed lines in some places we got thru fairly well ...
 
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pat

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Originally Posted by sharky

Pat feel free to come visit ... cept for downed lines in some places we got thru fairly well ...
Thank you for the invitation
We have our power back, and now that dh bought us a generator, we are more prepared for the next time.

Right now I am so busy, I am exhausted...going no where anytime soon!
 

joanne511

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We were very lucky - we lost power twice but it came back on and stayed on all through Friday. A few miles down the road they are STILL without power! We fared well for the most part - part of our side fence blew down, we lost some shingles, and the roof has started to lift in a few spots. Considering that a house two down from us has a tree in their roof and attic, we're feeling VERY grateful.

Click thumbnails for larger images.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0703/joanne511/House/DSCN2135.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0703/joanne511/House/DSCN2136.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0703/joanne511/House/DSCN2140.jpg
 
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pat

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You were lucky! I told my husband this morning that I feel lucky we only were out for 24 hours, seeing as there are still so many without power today.

Two sections of our back fence fell down
and our trees got quite the trimming...largest limb I've ever seen came off of one. We have some chainsaw work to do!
 

joanne511

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We just came back from Claim Jumper in Southcenter and they just got their power back this afternoon. It's amazing how many communities are still waiting for power. It's so cold - I don't know how they're doing it.
 
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pat

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Originally Posted by joanne511

We just came back from Claim Jumper in Southcenter and they just got their power back this afternoon. It's amazing how many communities are still waiting for power. It's so cold - I don't know how they're doing it.
A bit off topic, but we love that particular Claim Jumper! It's one of our favorite places to go
 

joanne511

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Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

A bit off topic, but we love that particular Claim Jumper! It's one of our favorite places to go
Ours too - we've probably run into each other there and not known it.
We eat there more often than we should!
 
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pat

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Originally Posted by joanne511

Ours too - we've probably run into each other there and not known it.
We eat there more often than we should!
I wouldn't doubt it
It's special to us also because our wedding rings, my engagement and 10th anniversary ring all came from the Shane Company just across the street from this restaurant
 
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