Generators: live with them or live without them?

Considering the unusual weather we have been having here lately it has been an interesting summer.  Much of the summer was hotter than it had been in a number of years based on my observation.  So several days of over 100 degree weather this summer along with the usual high humidity made for some hot times.  Then the earthquake that hit our area was a big surprise.  Though it didn't cause any damage in our area it did make people feel vulnerable.  Then a week or so after that hurricane Irene came and gave us a wallop that killed our electricity, Internet, phones both land lines and cell not to mention cable for those that watch T.V. it was an unexpected wallop.  To follow that up we have had some unusually long and large rain storms with much thunder and lightning.  These type of storms are not unusual for us in the evenings this time of year but having them in the morning and all day for a couple days this last week have been unusual. 

Lots of folks have been worried about how to make it through and several friends have gone and purchased generators to keep their refrigerators on.  Our neighbor shared his generator the last day before electricity was restored and after plugging in the refrigerator the next thing we wanted was a working fan.  The last people in our area without electricity seem to have finally gotten it back this week.

Through this all my wife and I considered whether to get a generator or not.  They were available and we could have gotten one but when I thought about it we have been without electricity for an extended period three times in the last 12 years.  That hasn't seemed particularly terrible, despite the inconvenience and trepidation at the time.  We have lost much of what was in our refrigerator and freezer each of those times.  When you consider the cost of a generator at around $600 and then the cost of putting gasoline in it (one friend told us it was costing about $30 for every day and a half), that seems like a lot of money.  Especially when you have to travel around to find a gas station that is open and can pump gas due to the electricity being out.  So the cost of the gas to travel to and from the station added as well.  It is not like you can store any significant supply of gasoline on your property without additional risks.  All-n-all it hasn't seemed worth it to us yet at this point. 

I suppose if one of us had medical needs that required electricity then that would very quickly change the equation.  But with our current ability to roll with the punches and not be endangered by it, I think that a generator isn't helpful and doesn't save us much in comparison to the cost.  I'm sure other folks feel differently based on their needs.  For example we have a couple friends with young children who are here for school for a semester who purchased a generator here despite having one at their own home in another state.  They felt like it was worth the expense in their situation. Ultimately we haven't seen where a generator would be worth it except in convenience...maybe. 

I must admit I am a little reluctant to write this wondering if the next blow of mother nature might convince me otherwise, but I guess a little embarrassment isn't as tough as a hurricane...is it? 

Electricity appreciated anew

Thankfully our electricity was returned early this morning after having been out since Saturday afternoon.  It is amazing how dependent on electricity we are.  Hurricane Irene went through and knocked out the electricity to 85% of our little city.  The schools are still without electricity as our several of the stop lights in town and so driving through can still be tricky as it appears that many folks either don't know or don't care that when the lights aren't working (totally blank) that the intersection becomes a four way stop.  So those who chug on through without stopping make them a bit hazardous. 

We made it through a couple of warm nights, moving down tot he bottom floor to get as cool as we could.  Charging cell phones and kindle's can be a challenge in these times.  But thanks to some kindnesses we had some ice for cool drinks yesterday (who knew ice is one thing we would really miss) and a generator to keep our refrigerator going.  Some stores are open doing a bang up business and others are closed with no electricity.  It feels like the "haves" and "have nots" with who has electricity and who doesn't. 

We drove around the city and noticed lots of tree limbs down and some trees.  A few electric lines torn down from the falling trees.  All-n-all it will be a mess for those whose electricity is out due to trees down.  We felt like celebrating when the electricity on and turned on the air conditioning and went back to our comfortable water bed for the rest of the night!  That's what is going for excitement around here. 

On my way to work I had to drive around in Hopewell and saw they seemed a little worse off then our little town.  We are hearing that at least one school system has pushed the start of school back one week and it is still a challenge to find gasoline and ice without waiting in lengthy lines.  I'm glad that we had two cars full of gas when the hurricane came. 

Hurricane Irene update #2

Well the storm has definitely moved more into our area.  The rain is coming down harder and more consistently and the wind has picked up significantly.  Trees are dancing around a lot more.  Vision outside has been reduced and I see there are a lot less cars on the road now and they are driving much slower.

I got a call from my Mom and she said that their electricity went out for about 20 minutes but was back on again.  She said a neighbors tree lost a large limb into her yard and she is worried the whole tree will come down into her yard.  Our electricity went off a couple of times for just seconds but then we had trouble connecting with the Internet for several minutes afterwards. The lights dim from time to time as well.  Part of our neighbors tree is down as well as you can see in the picture above.

Things are definitely picking up now, sometimes you can hear the wind outside whining and the rain beats against the windows more than it was this morning.  I noticed a few hours ago that all flights in and out of Richmond have now been cancelled.  I can't imagine what hassles that means for various folks, since they have gotten caught in this hurricane.

When I checked the weather for tomorrow it sounded pretty pleasant after rain in the morning, so maybe things will get back to normal quickly if the storm is gone by then.  Monday looked like a down right pleasant day.  I guess the real test will be how many trees go down and how that interferes with traffic. 

Hilary made it to her destination and so she can start getting ready for school to start next week.  Here everyone is just lounging around waiting to see what will happen with the storm.  So far so good here in VA.

Update on Hurricane Irene at our home

At 11:30 a.m. on Saturday it has been raining for several hours.  First thing this morning Hilary had a flight out of Richmond in order to return to school which begins next week.  When Lisa made that flight plan she was surely inspired as it was very early in the morning and so she was able to get out. Even still several of the airlines had cancelled their flights already but not Delta.  Hilary is well on her way and has already completed the first leg.  Now EVERY incoming flight to Richmond and outgoing flight has cancelled except two each.  So that certainly worked out great.

So far we have only been seeing rain with a bit of wind.  Early this morning when we went to the airport it was just a light rain but now it is raining significantly and the wind is throwing the water at our windows at about the same level as a good Virginia rain storm like the ones we are accustomed to in this state.  So far it is just a good rain storm.

All the Sunday services for our stake have been cancelled tomorrow except the one to the westernmost branch.  Plans to get reports to the Stake of members who have damage and needs caused by the storm are in effect.  Leaders are at one ward building to receive members from more storm affected parts of the state and direct them to homes where families have agreed to house them is set up and going, although as of last night not one individual or family had come.  That latter plan was set in motion as a result of the Area Authority and surrounding Stake Presidencies to aid members needing to escape the coast for safety from the storm. 

Right at the moment all is manageable but the worst part of the storm has, of course, not arrived.

As for me I am having a lunch of toasted tomato basil bread with chunky peanut butter and blueberry and peach preserves.  Can't complain at this point. 

P.S.  Just to show you how things are grinding to a stop here our new BYU football shirts just arrived this minute!  [How is that for a little tempting fate sarcasm?]

I'll update later if we still have electricity.

Virginia earthquake!

The big news of the day that a rare earthquake hits Virginia.

So there I am sitting at work talking with a client and suddenly the building starts shaking.  It takes a couple seconds to realize that we are having an earthquake, in Virginia--weird!  So naturally that becomes the topic of our discussion rather quickly as the building continues to shake.  I think I better check out what is happening in the rest of the building as I am hearing a bunch of noise outside my office.  That turns out to be my co-workers talking of their astonishment. 

It quickly becomes evident that it isn't going to be a severe earthquake just enough to shake things up a little, not tossing things around or dropping pictures from the walls.  But is starts shaking people up too, meaning that some clients are getting worried about driving home, "what if we have another one on the way home" and that sort of thing. 

People evacuating buildings in VA during the earthquake.

The staff is a little shaken as well as staff start calling and receiving calls from family members asking if they were alright and felt the earthquake.  Children calling parents, siblings and so forth.  One co-worker commented that it was sad that he was calling family and friends that he hadn't been in touch with for a while, just because they came to mind and he wanted to make sure they were alright.

I called my Mom who was "pretty scared" and she totally lost her focus on going through her kitchen cupboards with the help of my youngest daughter.  "We are just watching the news now instead of doing the work" she said.  Then we got an email from our central office saying that they were closing down and sending us home "as soon as you can secure your office".  So we got things put away and came home. 

Having a small earthquake of 5.9 on the Richter scale really lets you know how vulnerable we are, because while things are shaking around you knew there wasn't a dog-on-thing we could do about it.  And if the shaking got bad enough to bring the office down, you couldn't keep it from happening.  Humility must be the natural response to nature's power. 

Now that it seems we have escaped the earthquake with no damage (one picture fell down at home) then it seems that all eyes are quicker to look at the strengthening hurricane Irene that seems to be headed our way.